Lean On Me
by stokeslove
Summary: An alternate version of "Snow Day." What would have happened if Lindsay had been the one held hostage in the warehouse? Who will stand by her in the aftermath?
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters. I do not receive any profit from these writings. If that were even remotely possible, I'd be on the picket line with the Hollywood writers.

D/L angst & FM radio eventually… Just be patient my loves.

* * *

Chapter 1:

Lindsay couldn't fall back asleep. The sound of Danny's heart beat had kept her in place for nearly half of an hour. But since his arm had dropped off her back in his slumber, the warmth that held her cocooned on their makeshift bed had faded. She felt an uncontrollable shiver roll up her spine. Danny didn't seem to notice at all.

Slowly, she rose up from her spot on the pool table—grimacing as she did so from the stiffness in her back and shoulder. Watching his eyelids for any sort of movement, she very carefully slid to the edge of the table and hopped down to the floor. The sun streaming into his apartment told her that she needed to hurry if she was going to make it to work on time.

Lindsay stole one more glance at Danny before heading to the bathroom to get dressed. She felt the color rise in her cheeks and a smile tug at her lips. She'd always wondered what he looked like in the morning…

* * *

"Hey Mac" She took a couple of extra steps to catch up with him as he strode through the lab.

"Lindsay, good morning. Get your kit. Flack's been busy." He hands her a slip of paper and stops in the middle of the hallway. "Adam's been there processing by himself for 6 hours already. Give him a hand."

"I heard about the bust. That's huge." She takes the paper and turns toward the locker room to grab her kit. "I'm on my way."

* * *

Danny turned over and clumsily reached for Lindsay… but he felt nothing. Opening one eye, he squints to see that Montana has jumped ship. He sits up and grips his head when he feels the hangover headache set in. Retrieving his glasses and slipping on his jeans, he sees that Lindsay and her clothes are gone.

Checking the clock, he realizes why… She's already been at work for an hour and a half. Making his way to the kitchen to start the coffee before he gets ready for work, he finds Montana's neat handwriting on the message board.

"Danny-

Didn't have the heart to wake you. I'd rather be here, but I don't want to explain to Mac why I was late for shift. I'm glad we did this…

xoxo – Montana"

He couldn't help but smile. She used her own nickname. The nickname he gave to her. And she hadn't skipped out on him… Turning around and catching the time on the microwave, Danny returns to his task and heads off to the shower. If he hurried, maybe he could catch her before she got sent out to a scene.

Flipping on the radio before he steps into the shower, Danny hears the local news report come on.

"This morning, NYPD detectives and SWAT officers conducted a raid on a warehouse at an undisclosed location. The result is the largest cocaine bust in NYPD history. A press conference was held by Detective Don Flack, who led the raid and confiscated 900 kilos of cocaine."

"Whoa, Donnie." Danny laughs and jumps into the shower. It's going to be a very busy day, he thinks to himself.

* * *

More soon… (and more of the exciting stuff soon). 


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters. I do not receive any profit from these writings. If that were even remotely possible, I'd be on the picket line with the Hollywood writers.

While the general premise of Snow Day remains the same…or at least vaguely similar… I've taken some _creative_ liberties.

D/L angst & FM radio eventually… Just be patient my loves.

* * *

Chapter 2:

Lindsay never saw it coming. The blinding pain was instantaneous and then there was only darkness.

_A few moments before…_

_Lindsay pulled up to the warehouse and parked the SUV beside the patrol car. She clambered out of the car and pulled her kit from the trunk. As she walked toward the warehouse, she tried to clear her mind of the lingering thoughts she'd had on her way to the scene… Danny… a pool table… Concentrate, Monroe._

_That's when she noticed it. Just entering the crime scene, the yellow caution tape was torn. She slowed, put her case gently on the ground, and, as quietly as she could, unholstered her glock. It wasn't just the tape. She saw no officers. Adam wasn't humming as she knew he often did at a crime scene by himself when he thought no one was watching. There was a void where there should have been noise. Her breath quickened and she fought to control her pounding heart. Surely someone would hear it in all the silence._

_Edging her way into the warehouse, she spots Adam's kit, but no Adam. Cigarettes are strewn around his kit… As she cautiously moves forward, checking for movement, she never hears the soft footsteps approaching from behind._

Her eyes bolt open and she sucks in a ragged breath. Her cheek is pressed against something hard and cold. Lindsay can't help but jump when she feels a warm hand gently touch the crown of her head.

"Shh… Monroe. It's me." She turns her head slowly and puts her hands to the ground to raise herself up. "Go slow…"

Teeth gritting, she moves, gingerly, from her prone place on the floor. She spies the friendly voice that sounded like it was coming from a million miles away. Adam. He was bloody, clutching his hand.

"I'm sorry, Lindsay." His voice shook and she could tell that he couldn't control it.

Her head was pounding. With shaky fingertips, she reaches up to touch the back of her head and pulls them away when she feels the wet slick of blood. Forcing her eyes to focus despite the pounding she finally notices the gagged and bound patrol officers no more than 10 feet from her. They blink at her...registering to her that they're at least alive…since she can't seem to focus on their faces.

She's half-crouching on the ground now. Trying to maintain her focus. Trying to _gain_ some focus. Blinking hard through her pounding head she manages to sweep some of the pain aside and focus on the situation. Adam looks bad. The officers aren't all that bloody, from what she can see. She's bleeding from a pistol whip to the skull. That much, she can figure out.

She watches as Adam rests his head back against the wall and closes his eyes. She turns to lean slightly against the wall, while still crouched on her side. When she moves, she feels something dig into her thigh…. her phone.

* * *

"Mac, do you smell that?" Stella turns and looks about as if she could see the scent hanging in the room.

"It smells like natural gas." Just then, the alarm explodes across the lab. People step out of their departments to look at one another.

"It's an alarm… Get moving people!" Mac watches as his words send people flocking to the exits, and turns back to Stella.

"Mac, this can't be a coincidence… a gas leak on the same day that we have 900 kilos of cocaine in our vault?"

"Split up. Find the source. Maybe if we find out where it's coming from, we can find out who's causing it."

* * *

Danny sees some commotion near the crime lab about two blocks away from the garage. Traffic is being redirected by patrol officers and he can see people hovering around the base of the building.

Pulling up to the blockade, he flashes his detective badge and the officer lets him through to park just on the other side of his cruiser.

"Oooh,… I gotta bad feelin' 'bout this." Quickly he locks the truck and jogs up to the building.

Winding through the crowd of people he finds Hammerback and Peyton.

"Mac decide today was a good day for a drill, or what?" Danny laughed hesitantly. The laugh faded from his face when he saw Peyton's.

"There's a gas leak in the lab." She spoke. "Mac's still up there. I'm not sure why." She says as she glances up the building to the lab.

Hammerback put a hand on Peyton's shoulder. "He'll be fine. It's Mac!" He says and looks to Danny, eyebrows raised, "right?"

Danny looks to Peyton and nods with emphasis. "Eh, he'll be fine. He's probably just up there playin' hero makin' sure everyones out." He winks at Peyton. "He's thorough."

* * *

Her phone was on. Thank god… With shaky fingers, she tries to subtly dial the number without drawing attention to herself. She didn't see the patrol officers staring intently at her. And even though Adam was watching for their captors, he couldn't adequately warn her before they had already jumped into the trailer and were standing over her.

She felt them standing above her before they spoke. Instinctually, she pushed the phone out in front of her… away from her body.

"Stupid bitch!" And she realizes for the first time that the men are Irish. At the same time, she realizes that they're carrying AK-47s.

She gets a boot to the gut and a stomp to the back. She feels herself gasping for breath, her arms failing her as she slumps back to her stomach on the floor. And then she's whipped backwards—her head slamming against the wall. The butt of the assault rifle comes crashing down against her shoulder—pinning it to the wall. Lindsay hears the sound of the bone crushing as the hard metal makes contact.

She can barely open her eyes, but she knows what is being pressed to her forehead. The cool metal. The smell of powder. It feels like it's boring a hole through her skull.

"Try it again… I won't think twice about putting one between your eyes." With that he pulls the muzzle from her head and walks away leaving Lindsay with closed eyes wheezing against the wall of the trailer.

Next time…

Flack gets a call.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters. I do not receive any profit from these writings. If that were even remotely possible, I'd be on the picket line with the Hollywood writers.

Thanks for your reviews! BTW, I'm pretty much nixing most of the scenes at the crime lab with Mac & Stella. Not my purpose with the story. So, just pretend like it's going on in the background.

In response to a few questions… I don't know yet whether it'll be D/L or an FM fic. I keep flip-flopping as I write and think about new chapters. Mysteries are intriguing, right? And who doesn't like a good love triangle?

* * *

**Chapter 3:**

"Lindsay… Lindsay…." Adam looks around to make sure the masked goons aren't listening too closely. "Com'on Linds… please." Adam's voice is shaking. She hasn't moved. She's breathing…but she's so still. Reaching over with his good hand, Adam gently nudges her thigh. Slowly, her eyelids separate and he sees a slight twitch on her eyelashes.

"Are you.. I mean.. oh shit. Lindsay, are you with me?" Adam hears her give a whispered, "mmhmm." And she shuts her eyes tightly.

Taking a deep breath, she pulls herself out of the depths and opens her eyes. She's jolted back to reality and the pain immediately awakens her fully.

"Lindsay…"

"Don't say it Adam. I'm trying not to think about it." She whispers thickly. She shifts her weight off of her weakened, crushed shoulder and winces. Sucking in a breath, she peers over at Adam. "I'm okay for now." Looking toward their captors, she asks, "Adam, what did they want?"

"I'm so sorry Lindsay…" She just watches him through veiled eyelids and waits for him to go on. With a shaky voice, he responds, "they wanted my ID, and the codes for the lab." He gently slams his head back against the wall and squeezes his eyelids together before looking back to her waiting eyes. "They're going to get their cocaine and their guns from the lab. They were going to kill me… I just didn't know what to do."

Lindsay releases a breath she didn't know she was holding. "Adam, you couldn't have known." As her vision clears slightly, she notices the bruising to his face and the blood on his cheeks. "We're going to make it out of this, okay? We are." He just nods shortly and turns to face the opposite wall.

Silence reigns as Lindsay tries to even her breathing and fight through the pain. The dull pounding of her head is muted by the intense throbbing in her shoulder. Gritting her teeth, she pulls her right hand into her lap and tucks her elbow in against her torso.

When she was 15, she'd dislocated her shoulder when her Uncle Phil's new horse had bucked her. This was more than a dislocated shoulder. She could see her kit and she could see Adam's kit from where she sat. The goons with guns weren't too far beyond that.

The patrol officers were bound and gagged. With duct tape. Her shoulder, Adam's hand, and the assault rifles were enough to keep them that way.

"Adam, what do you have in your kit?"

"Why? It's all the way over there…No. No, you can't seriously be thinking. No. They'll shoot me. Hell, they'll shoot all of us."

Closing her eyes and taking a raggedy breath, Lindsay presses him. "Adam, just answer my damn question."

Adam Ross has heard most of the people in his office curse, but this is the closest he's ever been to hearing Lindsay Monroe utter a curse word. Her cheeks are flush and her lips are trembling. He sees a dark stain on the back of her head and corresponding blood drops on the jean jacket covering her white t-shirt.

"Fine. I've got bindles and swabs. Umm… a print kit…"

"No, no.. chemicals or solutions. What've you got?"

"I've got my narco kit."

Lindsay gives him a small tight smile. "Good. Now we just have to get it."

"How do you think that's going to happen? I mean, seriously, Monroe. They've got guns. We're the only two not bound and it's not like we're at 100 percent here." She must be delirious from the pain.

"Just get the solution, okay Adam?" Lindsay sits up a little straighter and pulls her right hand to her waistband letting the tingling fingers grab on to her belt. Taking a deep breath and closing her eyes to find some strength, she opens them and turns directly to Adam. "Just make sure you get it."

With that, Lindsay stands up, hops out of the trailer, and takes off for the exit away from Adam's kit.

"Hey, you bitch, get back here!!"

Adam sees the goons take off after a streaking Lindsay. As fast as he could, he gets to his kit and grabs the solution and clambers back into the trailer in the same place where he was before.

He doesn't even think to look for Lindsay until he's already back in the trailer. And then suddenly, his heart is beating even faster than it was before.

He hears a slam and a short scream. He looks to the patrol officers. Their brows are furrowed, and they're leaning in their positions... trying to see outside of the trailer. Trying to locate Lindsay.

Adam leans his head back and feels hot tears running down his cheeks. He should have gone. He should have been the one. No one will ever forgive him… He'll never be able to forgive himself.

And then he hears her cry out. But still, no gun shots.

* * *

Lindsay's feet are moving as fast as possible as soon as her feet hit the ground. Holding her right arm tightly against her torso, she tries to brace herself for whatever impact may be coming. She can hear the masked men chasing her and yelling for her to stop. 

One minute she's running and the next she's hitting the ground with a hard thud. There's no time to feel pain, because in the next second, she's being dragged by her hair back toward the interior of the warehouse.

She feebly reaches her left arm up to grab onto the man's arm who's dragging her to take some of the pressure off of her scalp. Surely he's ripped out chunks of her hair…

He drops her outside of the viewing area of the trailer and steps on her right shoulder. Her cry is guttural and irrepressible. She'd never imagined pain like that.

"Feisty little brat aren't ya?" He presses his foot a little deeper into her shoulder. "Well, we'll see how long it lasts."

She's trying to stay awake but the darkness is overwhelming. Lindsay can feel her eyes spinning in her head, and, now that she's laying down on the ground, they're spinning down into the back of her skull.

"Ah, no ya don't." And suddenly she's wrenched from the calm and brought back into chaos. "Time to make a call."

He grabs Lindsay by her left arm and drags her a little closer to the trailer. He aims the AK-47 at her chest and pokes her with it. "Sit up!... Now!"

Forcing her own phone into her hand, he re-aims the gun at her. "Now dial that shit-cop that made the bust this morning." He nudges her with the gun for emphasis. "Call anyone else and I'll shoot off your fingers one at a time."

She looks up at him and with glistening eyes, enters the speed dial number she's dialed a million times before. Looking at the masked man…and not his gun… she speaks into the phone.

"Flack" She tries to steady her voice. It doesn't work. "Yeah, it's me, Lindsay. We've got a problem at the crime scene." Hot tears streamed down her cheeks. "You should get here soon."

* * *

_All units be advised; level 3 mobilization; officer involved hostage situation._

Danny, Hammerback, and Peyton are standing outside the crime lab when they see a rush of police cars and a SWAT van go racing by with lights and sirens blaring. A patrol officer starts to run off when Danny grabs his arm.

"Where's the fire?"

"There's a hostage situation at the warehouse from this morning's bust. Cops are in there."

Peyton looks to Danny. "Mac sent Lindsay and Adam there this morning." And then Danny was gone.

* * *

Hope that satisfies your taste buds a bit. 

Back with more soon!


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters. I do not receive any profit from these writings. If that were even remotely possible, I'd be on the picket line with the Hollywood writers.

NOTE: Changed numbering on the chapters and ditched the prologue chapter (what a waste). Also, I've committed to where I think the story is going—in terms of a couple-pairing.

Also, please keep in mind that although the story line (for now) is similar… I am taking creative liberties.

* * *

**Chapter 4:**

Danny rushed to the scene and before he could contemplate the feel of the pavement against the soles of his shoes he was standing next to a very tense Don Flack. Flack's eyes were tethered to the warehouse in front of him as a SWAT technician hooked up an infrared scanning sensor. It was the only positive way they could know how many guys they were dealing with. And it was the only way they could know for sure the status of the hostages.

Danny let out a breath he didn't know he was holding when the screen sprang to life and he saw no blue bodies on the screen. Blue was bad. Blue was dead.

Don heard Danny's sigh and felt the same relief when he saw the screen. But his brow furrowed when he saw one red blur slumped over on the floor.

"You talked to Montana… She's alive."

Flack never took his eyes off the screen. In a low and even whisper, Flack responded. "She didn't sound good, Danny."

Danny's breath hitched and he wrung his hands together. Looking to the warehouse, he squinted… as if he could somehow will his eyes to see through the walls. To see what was happening inside. Danny was vaguely aware that Flack was ordering the SWAT officers to surround the building, take positions on higher ground, and prepare the bot to deliver the walkie to the suspects. His concentration, however, remained focused on the barrier between his friends and their safety.

* * *

They just dumped her on the ground like she was a sack of potatoes. No, not even a sack of potatoes… worse… like a bag of garbage. Adam cringed when they saw them just dump her body on the ground. He heard the thud from her skull hitting the floor of the trailer. The sound didn't bother him as much as her lack of movement afterwards.

The goons walked away and before he took inventory of Lindsay's fresh injuries, Adam made sure to hide the solution he swiped from his kit.

Leaning over, he could see that she was breathing. Blood was matted on the back of her head. He peered over her to see blood coming from her nose and mouth. There was an angry red mark on her forehead. She was a mess…

And then somehow she was awake. Her eyes fluttered open, but she didn't move.

"Lindsay…" He only got a low groan in return. "Don't move, okay. Just… just don't move."

He looked to the patrol officers for some kind of reassurance. Their eyes betrayed their fear. And Adam finally realized that unless help came in some way, things may end very badly for them today.

* * *

_She could smell Danny's cologne. He always had this sweet, musky smell to him, but you could never smell it until you were standing inches away. And even then, the smell wasn't constant. Every once in a while you would get close enough and be lucky enough to catch the briefest whiff of his scent. She could smell it so clearly now._

_She opened her eyes and she was in Danny's apartment. She looked around and he wasn't there. She can't find him and she's not sure where he's gone. She knows that he had been there before…_

_She blinked and she was no longer in Danny's apartment. The warehouse. Adam. The officers. The masks. The guns._

_The smell of Danny's cologne was slowly fading away and being replaced by the metallic, coppery smell of blood. It was pungent. And from some recess of her mind, the thought that it was in fact her own blood that she smelled came to the forefront._

_Her blood. The panic and the bile rose in her throat._

And then she was awake.

* * *

Flack attached the walkie talkie to the bot and watched as a SWAT officer turned on the navigation system to send it into the warehouse. Flack stepped back behind the monitor to watch the six red blobs on the infrared sensor. As the bot approached the warehouse, he watched as two of the blobs moved to the area where they were sending the bot.

One of the men picked up the walkie, and Flack took a deep breath. Danny was still staring at the building with a pained look.

"_Nice toy."_

Flack was not at all surprised by the thick Irish accent that he was hearing on the other end of the line. "I've got some others. Why don't ya come out here and I'll show ya how to use 'em."

"_Think I'll pass. Kind of occupied with some guests."_

"Now that you've got my attention, what do you want to unload those guests?"

"_Release my guys from the raid this morning. All of them. Now."_

And with that the walkie talkie clicked off.

* * *

Lindsay's eyes were open. Her eyes focused on a speck on the floor in front of her. She fought the hot tears that she felt welling in her eyes. Lindsay knew she had to focus on something. She'd talked to Flack. The cavalry would come. Someone would help her; someone would help them.

_Flashback…_

"_Flack" She tries to steady her voice. It doesn't work. _

"_Monroe?... You alr.." She cuts him off._

"_Yeah, it's me, Lindsay. We've got a problem at the crime scene." Hot tears streamed down her cheeks. "You should get here soon."_

"_What's going on? Monroe, are you hurt?" He's standing at his desk now. Other officers are starting to notice the level of concern in his voice._

"_Just, you need to get here soon, Don. OK? Just.. get to the warehouse." _

_He hears the tears in her voice and he's already making hand motions to other officers and signaling for them to put out the call. He plugs his phone in to record the call. He hears some whispering in the background and then a slight whimper from Lindsay._

"_He says that they'll kill us if you don't get here in the next 20 minutes."_

"_Lindsay, I'm already on my way. Tell them I'm on my way."_

_Her voice gets further away and he hears a muffled male voice in the background. Then he hears Lindsay yell, "… two of them, Flack.. two." And then he hears some shouting from the male voice, a yelp from Lindsay and the line goes dead._

She just hoped that Adam got the solution from his kit in case there was no cavalry.

_Next Time…_

The rescue.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters. I do not receive any profit from these writings. If I did, my life would be infinitely more fun than it currently is.

So begin the creative liberties…

Thanks for all the reviews! Here's some more for you.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**Chapter 5:**

The goons were agitated. Agitated and armed. And Adam honestly couldn't think of one good reason why he had gone to get the damn solution. The fallout was not worth the gain. Some stupid little bottle of liquid for Lindsay. If Danny didn't kill him, Mac would surely fire him for this.

Lindsay…oh man. She's struggling. He couldn't even help her into a sitting position because of the damn goons and their friggin' guns. What the hell is he supposed to do now? Her eyes close and Adam feels his chest tighten, just hoping that she'll open her eyes again. She looks bad. And just when he's about to say something to her, to try to keep her awake, the goons are back.

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"What's goin' on? What the hell are they doin' in there?" Don Flack is trying to manage the situation, deal with the negotiations, and keep his colleagues from getting bullets to the brain. And all the while, Danny Messer is pacing around him like a caged animal. A caged animal who says every single thought he has out loud.

"I don't know. They're moving two of them, but I don't know why." Two of the red blobs on the infrared scanner are being herded by two other red blobs. "Let's see if I can get them on the horn."

Flack turns his attention back to his walkie talkie. He tries the same frequency. "I've got news on your boys." He waits.

Finally, a response. "_What's that?"_

"I need some more time to get your guys out. The brass is working on it, but it's not something I can do in an hour."

"_Not good enough."_

Flack hears the tightness in the man's voice. "There's somethin' that would help grease the wheels. Proof of life. You let me hear from my guys, and it'll move things along."

"_NOT GOOD ENOUGH. Proof of life? Listen to that bitch cop take her last breath!"_

"WAIT! WAIT! NO!" In an instant, Flack drops the walkie and starts yelling out commands to the SWAT officers.

"IT'S GOING DOWN NOW." The SWAT officers begin to close in on all sides of the building. There's communication from the sniper… he can't get a clean shot into the warehouse. They're going to have to go in.

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Lindsay's eyes are closed, but it's simply so she can focus on her breathing. Focusing on anything else just leads to her feeling horribly nauseous. She barely opened her eyes when the two Irish men clambered into the trailer and dragged the young patrol officers off somewhere.

After they took them away, she had looked to Adam. He was shaking, or maybe she was shaking. She couldn't tell. He briefly pulled the solution from his vest and showed it to her. He scooted across the trailer, watching for the gunmen all the while, to sit near her.

"I think you should take this. In case they try to… I mean… in case they come back. You can use it to try to get away."

"And what are you going to do?" She clears her throat lightly and blinks heavily.

"I'll be fine. You just get away when you can, okay? You've already gotten us this far. I need to do my part to get us out of here. Okay? So they come back, I take this one for the team. Got it?"

She just nods slowly. She turns her head slowly to look at him.

"I told you. We're getting out of here together, okay?"

He looks at her earnestly. "Just take this." He unscrews the top of the solution and puts it lightly back on the bottle before placing it in her hand. He checks outside the trailer again and scoots back to his previous spot.

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Several minutes later, Adam and Lindsay are startled to attention by the yells of one of the gunmen. He's pissed. Adam and Lindsay make eye contact for a split second before they turn to watch the trailer's entrance.

One of the gunmen appears suddenly… storming to the entrance and climbing up into the trailer. He's staring intently at Lindsay the whole time.

He stomps to her, gruffly grabbing her by her injured shoulder and pulling her up off the ground. "Get up you!"

Lindsay braces for his rough touch to her shoulder and she swallows the yelp in her throat. She didn't assist him in his move to stand her up. The pain kept her from participating, but being dead weight worked to her advantage. She used it to get both of his hands to grab on to her. Then she turned all at once and threw the solution in his face. He immediately released her and threw her against the wall.

The gunmen screamed and clawed as his face. Adam used the opportunity to knock the guy off his feet. He used the butt of the guy's gun to knock him in the head.

But all the commotion brought the other gunmen to the trailer. Before Adam could realize what was happening, shots were being fired and then he was firing back with the goon's weapon. The second guy dropped.

Not taking a chance that the second guy could get up, he jumped down and kicked the gun out of his hands. He could already see blood pooling from his abdomen.

"Lindsay, come on… Let's go…" And without turning back, Adam took off toward the front of the warehouse where he heard what sounded like Flack's voice yelling.

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"I SAID DROP YOUR WEAPONS!" Flack is screaming at the two men he sees in front of him holding AK 47s. The noise from the SWAT team bursting into the warehouse disguised their muffled words.

But Flack did hear Adam. "Stop!! STOP! They're cops! They're cops." And Adam pulls off their masks and reveals the NYPD insignia and buttons at the top of their collars that had been previously hidden by the masks.

"Where's Lindsay, Adam?" Messer looks like he's going to kill someone. And Adam looks perplexed.

"What do you mean? She's right…" And Adam turns around to see that Lindsay isn't right behind him. "She's back there… She's kind of beat up… I though she was behind me."

But Danny can't hear him, because he's running to the trailer with Flack hot on his heels.

_Next Time…_

Touch and go.


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters. I do not receive any profit from these writings. If I did, my life would be infinitely more fun than it currently is.

So begin the creative liberties… including ignoring all events that happened at the lab during snow day from here on out.

Thanks for all the reviews! Here's some more for you. (Yes, that's 2 chapters in 1 day!! Amazing)

Chapter 6:

Flack took off after Messer who ran straight through the warehouse. SWAT team members had already cleared the area and had secured the two gunmen still laying within just feet of Lindsay Monroe. One of the SWAT officers just pointed to her and said that they'd already called for a bus.

Messer jumped up into trailer. "Montana!... Montana… wake up. Answer me." He knelt gently next to her and pulled her slightly into his lap. She was so pale. And he felt something warm and sticky as he wrapped his arms around her.

Flack watched the scene in front of him—a frantic Messer and a very beat up Lindsay. Flack pulled out his walkie talkie. "Flack to dispatch. We've got an officer down. Rush that bus." With that, he hopped into the trailer next to Danny and tried to assess the situation… there was an awful lot of blood.

"Danny… set her back a little. We don't want to do more damage." Danny looked at him with confused eyes, but leaned Lindsay back up against the wall and supported her with his leg. And that's when Flack saw all the blood on Danny. Reaching over to open her jean jacket slightly, Flack found the source. Blood was pouring out of Lindsay's abdomen.

"Oh Shit…" And he leapt forward, and put his hands over the wound to try to stop some of the bleeding. Danny ripped off his vest and tore off his button down shirt and wadded it up for Flack to use on the wound. Danny looked down at his undershirt and realized that her blood had soaked through to his undershirt. Her blood was everywhere….

"Danny, help me turn her. I gotta see if it's a through and through." And with that Danny snapped out of his momentary daze and helped Flack keep pressure on the wound while he rolled Lindsay to her side to see if there was an exit wound. Her back was dirty, but they saw no blood.

When they rolled her back over, Flack's knee bumped Lindsay's right shoulder and then she sucked in a breath and opened her eyes.

"Linds! Linds!" Her eyes searched erratically for the voice… it sounded like Danny… "Stay with me!"

Adam just stood outside the trailer and watched the scene unfold. Paramedics had come running in about 2 minutes earlier and they were frantically working on Lindsay.

She'd been shot. He didn't know… he was so worried that the SWAT team would shoot the officers… He thought she was right behind him. But she'd been laying in the trailer bleeding.

The EMTs pulled the backboard out of the trailer and put her on the gurney. The two of them ran with the gurney… pushing her out of the warehouse while Danny ran along with them telling Lindsay to stay with them.

He could hear Flack on the walkie talkie calling for officers to clear roadways and ordering patrol officers now in the warehouse to go and escort the bus to the hospital. He barked the order and then put a bloody hand to his head.

The two Irish men were still laying in the places where they were found. The one in the trailer was now on his stomach with his hands cuffed behind his back. A SWAT officer stood over him. The other man outside the trailer was DOA. Maybe he could pass the weapons field test, Adam thought. Too bad he didn't get that shot off before Lindsay took a bullet in the gut.

Adam was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't notice Flack come up to him.

"You okay, Adam?"

Flack put his hand on Adam's shoulder and then his head popped up to look Flack in the face.

"What?"

"I asked if you were okay."

"Ummm… yeah.. I guess.."

"Let's get you checked out, ok?" Adam just nodded and followed Flack toward the entrance of the warehouse.

"You know you did good, right?" Adam just stared at him and fought the tears threatening his eyes. He kept walking when Flack stopped and approached the paramedics who had just arrived and were opening the back doors of the ambulance for him.

* * *

Danny climbed in the back of the ambulance with one of the paramedics who was attending to Lindsay. Danny grabbed her hand and held on. The paramedic was busy hooking up tubes to Lindsay and checking her heartbeat with the stethoscope.

"Put your hand on the bandage. Hold it down as tightly as possible." Danny looked blankly at the paramedic and reached over to follow his instructions. He closed his eyes and said a little prayer. He hoped someone would hear it.

The ambulance was flying, but Danny felt like he was moving through molasses. He watched as the EMT moved furiously to save his Montana. She was so pale. What had they done to her?

And then…. There was a strange noise. It was different than the scream of the sirens. It was the heart monitor and it took Danny a minute to put two and two together. The portable monitor was showing an erratic heartbeat.

The paramedic yanked his hand off Lindsay.

"I said move, damnit!"

Danny sat back watching the EMT fight with Lindsay. Fight for Lindsay.

"Get a move on Sammy! Her SATs are down and I'm going to have to intubate"

The EMT skillfully pulled Lindsay's head back, put the tube into her throat, and began bagging her. The monitor's alarm turned off, but Danny could hear the speed of her heartbeat. It seemed abnormal. And then suddenly, the alarm went off again.

"Cut her shirt so I can put these on." Danny takes the scissors that the EMT hands out to him and leans forward to cut her shirt down the middle. The EMT shoves him aside and puts two pads from the portable defibrillator on her chest.

"Sit back." And with that Danny watches as the EMT types in something and then Lindsay's body is suddenly jolted with electricity. Danny watches her back arch and can't fight the tears in his eyes.

Things begin to get fuzzy as he realizes that Lindsay… that his Montana… is losing the fight for her life right in front of his eyes. He can't believe that he's watching this. He looks up. Praying. Hoping. Wishing. Making any deal with God that he thinks will work to keep her there.

And when he finally looks back down, he sees Montana is still fighting.

* * *

Flack arrives at the hospital at the same time as Mac, Stella, and Hawkes. They update one another on what they know as they somberly make their way into the ER. A nurse directs them to the surgical waiting area on the third floor.

Sitting in the hallway, darkened by the fading daylight, they see Danny Messer with his head in his hands, sitting in a plastic hospital chair. Dried blood is evident on his hands and he's still in the same white tank top and jeans that he was wearing an hour before when Lindsay was first brought in.

Hawkes mumbles something about searching out a med school friend for news and wanders off. Stella gives a knowing look to Mac and takes a seat next to Danny. She gently touches his back and he shudders upon the contact. She leans over and whispers something in his ear.

"She was pretty bad, Mac." Flack watches the interaction between Stella and Danny. Danny's shoulders are shaking and he can see Stella trying to comfort him.

"She's strong." Mac turned to look Flack in the eye. "We have to trust in her. Have faith in her ability to fight." Flack looked him square in the eye.

Flack nods. "I'm going to go get some coffee. We're going to be a while. Page me if you hear something."

Flack walked off leaving Mac with the somber pair in the waiting area chairs.

Taking a detour by the first men's room he found, Flack stepped in front of the sink and focused on washing his blood stained hands. Turning off the water, he grips the edge of the sink and looks into the mirror. Taking a deep breath, he releases his white-knuckle grip on the sink and stands up straight to walk out of the washroom.

Just need to think positive. She's gonna be okay.

* * *

The team sat in the waiting room for the next three hours. Danny spent most of that time with his head in his hands in the corner by himself. He had shrugged Stella off after the first 15 minutes of her arrival at the hospital.

Hawkes's med school buddy had given them very little information about Lindsay's status. She was in surgery and there was a lot of internal bleeding. That's the best he could do without clearance to go in the OR. Hawkes had gone to Adam's room to check on his condition and let him know about Lindsay.

Mac had called Lindsay's family and alerted them to her condition. He'd returned with fresh coffees and a look that betrayed the difficulty of the phone call. He and Stella sat together whispering quietly to one another. They'd each taken a few minutes to go visit with Adam, but each returned rather quickly asking for updates on Lindsay.

Flack had spent the last 45 minutes nursing a cold cup of coffee in front of the waiting room window just staring out at the city. He was trying to remember this song that his mother used to sing him when he was little. It comforted him when he was sad or sick … for some reason, that's all he could think about. This song. It was just something that she made up. She had a terrible voice, but it was her voice that made it so comforting.

He started when he saw the surgeon's reflection in the window from the door behind him.

"The nurse said that you're the NYPD officers here on Detective Monroe?"

Mac stood, "yes, how is she?"

Flack turned and sat the coffee cup down, taking a few steps toward the doctor.

"She's out of surgery…"

"but…" Danny prodded. He hadn't moved from his place in the corner, but he had a wild look in his eyes. A challenging look.

"But she's got a long road ahead of her. The bullet did some serious damage. She had massive internal bleeding. We were able to stop it and gave her two transfusions, but it's touch and go."

Stella released a ragged breath and wiped stray tears from her eyes.

"She's a fighter… I'll give her that… Aside from the gunshot wound, she's suffered a severe concussion, a hairline skull fracture, and her collarbone was broken in three places. She may need rotator cuff surgery later, but we'll deal with that at a more appropriate time. For now, we've got to get her through the next 48 hours."

"Can we see her?" Flack heard all of what the doctor said but knew that he wouldn't believe it unless he saw her.

"Give us a few hours to get her stabilized in SICU. I'll send a nurse down. Even then, two at time, no more than 10 or 15 minutes a visit. I need her calm. We're keeping her sedated, but I can't give her too much with the head injury."

The doctor turned to Mac. "Has her family been notified?"

"Yes. I'm keeping them up to date. They're in Montana."

"If they want to talk to me, just notify my nurse and I'll call them with a direct update."

The doctor left and the group looked around to each other. The almost palpable tension from the previous three hours had just been released from the room. She survived.

Mac stepped out to make some phone calls and Stella took a seat in her chair. Flack took a seat in a chair opposite Stella. Just as he sat down, Danny suddenly shot up from his seat. His movements were erratic. He still had Lindsay's blood on his arms and his shirt.

He started stalking out of the room, but paused next to Flack. "Tell her I'm sorry."

And with that, Danny Messer walked out leaving a bewildered Don Flack and Stella behind.

Next Time…

Sticking.


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters. I do not receive any profit from these writings. If I did, my life would be infinitely more fun than it currently is.

I've decided to respond to a couple of the messages/reviews I've received… I have a tendency to get wrapped up in the writing and forget to actually answer questions. First, thanks! Second, although I keep debating, for the moment this is likely ending up an FM Radio fic. Sorry DL fans… I love them, too, but it's my muse's fault! Finally, I'm a fan of strong, feisty Lindsay…not so much weak, victimy Lindsay. So, hopefully you like my interpretation of her as well ) Enjoy!

The language gets a little more severe in this one… Sensitive eyes beware.

* * *

Chapter 7:

Last time…

He started stalking out of the room, but paused next to Flack. "Tell her I'm sorry."

And with that, Danny Messer walked out leaving a bewildered Don Flack and Stella behind.

It took Don Flack about 5 seconds to register what Danny Messer had just done. And once it dawned on him the idiocy of the man's actions…and the fact that he was running out on his "Montana." Flack got pissed. And Flack stormed out after him.

He caught up to his friend in the stairwell. Jumping down several stairs at a time, he ended up 3 steps above Danny, following him down to the first floor.

"What the hell are ya doin' Messer?"

Danny didn't even bother to stop. "Drop it, Flack."

"No. Uh-uh. This is bull-shit. You stop right now and you explain to me why the fuck you're walkin' out on your partner." And with that, Danny Messer paused with one foot hanging on the edge of the step. Flack, glowering at Danny's back, his brow furrowed, watches as his friend slumps down onto the steps.

Danny had failed to make eye contact with anyone since they got to the hospital. He hadn't looked at the doctor. He'd practically ignored Stella. And the 3 hours that they waited for results on Lindsay, Messer had held his head in his hands—covering his eyes. Flack knew it wasn't 'cause he was crying. No. Something else was up.

So Flack held his ground and stayed standing. He tries to relax his face and he softens his tone. "Danny… why are you leaving now of all times? She's out. You can see her soon."

Danny let out a ragged breath and cleared his throat. "She died …. She nearly died…." And he turns his head half way to look to Don in his peripheral vision. "In the bus on the way here. Her bloods on my hands and she's fightin' but…" and he slams his fist against the stairwell. "but she was losin'." He turns back to stare at his hands. "She was losin' and there was nothing I could do about it, except watch her heart stop."

Don Flack just listened. The pain in Danny's voice was evident. So was the fear. Danny started shaking his head back and forth. "I can't do it. I just can't. So, I'm gone." And with that Danny pulled himself up by the railing and headed down the stairs.

Flack was rooted to his spot. He could still hear Danny on the stairs, so he asked the only question her really had for his friend. "Messer, what the fuck am I supposed to tell her?"

But the only answer he got was the sound of Danny's footsteps and then the opening of the door on the first floor.

* * *

When Don got back to the waiting area, he found Stella telling Hawkes about what happened to Danny.

"Well?"

"He ghosted me. Not sure where he went. He'll turn up." He didn't think Danny would want Stella to know what Don had figured out.

"Anything new?"

Both Stella and Hawkes shook their heads negatively.

Flack would tell Mac that Danny was gone. Mostly because he wasn't sure that Danny was going to show up anywhere for a while. But the rest he'd keep to himself.

Flack knew about all the flirting between Danny and Lindsay. Hell, everyone knew about it. Flack wasn't exactly happy about it, but, he wasn't going to crowd his buddy when he was interested in a girl. Messer's reputation made him think that nothing would ever actually happen between him and Lindsay. But it was obvious from Danny's reaction to all the events of the day that Lindsay wasn't some bimbo to him. It was also obvious that something had happened between them.

Which is what made Flack know that Danny wasn't going to show for a while. Danny didn't do "real." And from the look on his face, he knew Danny was all screwed up inside. Too much, too fast. Danny wasn't exactly what you'd call a 'relationship' guy. To throw a near death experience on top of someone who's fully equipped to be a bachelor for life… well that's just a recipe for disaster.

And now Danny had walked out on Lindsay. Someone who Danny had called his friend for two years now. And that's why Flack felt so disappointed in Messer. To act the way he did about Lindsay and then turn around and walk out… That's just not what you do. If he had that, he sure as hell wouldn't be throwing it away. Especially when it was Lindsay. Especially when she's already fighting so hard to stay with them.

And some switch in Don Flack's mind flipped. He knew it'd take a whole lot for Messer to convince him to change his mind about him.

Turns out Flack didn't have to tell Mac anything. Danny had called him and left a rather lengthy voicemail message explaining that he needed some time off. That he knew it was a shitty time to do it with Mac being short a few CSIs, but that he had no choice.

Mac said Danny had turned his phone off. He'd made his point.

Flack took in everything that Mac told him and just nodded. If Danny wasn't going to stick around and be here for Lindsay, then he sure as hell wasn't going anywhere. You carry a shield, you're part of a family. He'd bled blue, and, now, so had Lindsay. You stick by family. Danny may not, but Flack was sticking. No matter what.

After another hour, the team started going in for short visits with Lindsay. They all needed rest, but they couldn't leave without seeing her for themselves.

Flack wanted to go last. He was secretly hoping Messer would show up. But he also didn't want to get a fuss from Stella when he stayed. He'd already decided to sit in the plastic chair outside the ICU all night with the two patrol officers and guard Lindsay himself.

Standing in front of the window to the ICU, the lights were dimmed since night had long since settled in on the city. A fluorescent light above her bed was illuminated. It cast a strange pall over the petite form of Lindsay Monroe.

Gently pushing the door open and walking into the room, he immediately heard the sound of the heart monitor announcing each beat of her heart. It was immediately comforting. Without those series of beeps, it would be difficult from this distance to know she was alive.

This was the first time he'd gotten a good look at Lindsay since the trailer that morning. Even then, it had been so brief. He'd been concentrating on her wounds. And the blood.

He realized now how small she actually was. And he chuckled lightly to himself. She certainly isn't a small woman in life. Feisty. Tenacious. Smart. Funny. Caring.

He pulls the doctor's stool close to the edge of the bed. He's careful to stay away from her right side where her right shoulder is bandaged and her arm is full of tubes and IVs.

The blood from her head wound has long since dried into her hair. Bruises have started to form on her temple, cheek, neck, and arms.

The movement of her chest is jarring from the ventilator. Her closed eyelids are twitching ever so slightly.

He's the only one in the room with her, and he knows that he can't wake her from the sedation, but he keeps his voice low none the less.

"I hope you're not dreaming about today." He sighs and scoots slightly closer putting his hand on the bed near her hand. He stares intently at her fingers.

His fingers creep over and take gentle hold of her left hand. It's the first time that he's ever had such intimate contact with Lindsay Monroe. He's not surprised by the softness of her hands. Or the warmth.

"You gave us a scare today, Monroe." He blinked hard and looked to her face. "But I knew you'd pull through. You're tough."

"I'll be here when you wake up. I'm not going anywhere. You concentrate on getting better. I'm gonna make sure you don't worry about anythin' but gettin' better."

He sat back and was about to release Lindsay's hand and he swore that he felt her squeeze his hand. But he knew he was just imagining it. She couldn't hear him.

As he stood a nurse walked in.

"Excuse me, are you one of the Detectives that was here earlier?"

"Yeah, Don Flack." And he flashed his badge to her. "I was just leaving. I know the doc said…"

"Don't worry about that. He's gone for the night. If you want to sleep in here in the chair, I won't tell anyone. I'm with Ms. Monroe tonight."

He gave her a small smile. "Thanks. I'd appreciate that." He took a peak out of her ICU room and saw the patrol officers sipping coffee and standing guard outside the main ICU unit.

The nurse spoke again as she took Lindsay's vitals. "We're keeping them well supplied with coffee." She finished up and turned to face Flack. "There are extra blankets in that cabinet. Help yourself. I'll wake you if there are any changes."

And the nurse turned to leave Lindsay's room.

He grabbed a blanket and settled into the lounge chair in the corner. And the last thing that he saw before he fell asleep was the face of Lindsay Monroe.

Next Time…

Sleeping beauty.


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters. I do not receive any profit from these writings. If I did, my life would be infinitely more fun than it currently is.

We're getting there… I swear…

A/N: I really don't want to bring Lindsay's family into all this, so just pretend like they care and they're around somewhere. OK? Good.

**Chapter 8:**

For four days, team members had come and gone. Each one took a turn at sitting with Lindsay, whispering comforting words to her, and trying to give her the strength to open her eyes despite the heavy dosages of pain killers that she'd been given by the doctors.

Their badges had given them the golden tickets that they needed to get around the SICU visiting hour rules. Patrolmen continued to stand guard outside her door. And Susanne, the night nurse that Don met the very first night that Lindsay spent in the ICU, had unfailingly left him a blanket and a pillow on the chair each night.

Don didn't want to make it a big deal. He didn't want a lecture from Stella about getting in the middle of something that he didn't want to be in the middle of. Frankly, Hawkes wouldn't say anything to him anyway. And Mac—well, Mac probably wouldn't even say anything to him since he's the only one who'd actually talked to Danny, and he was feeding the rest of the team some line explaining his absence. He was the only other person who knew the real reason why Danny walked out on Lindsay.

So, Don sat watch at night. He'd come in after he knew the others had already visited her. He'd pass the patrolmen without a word—knowing that they wouldn't say anything about his presence in her room unless directly questioned about it. And then he'd wait. He'd watch and wait for her eyes to open. Or at least for her eyelids to flutter like they were _going_ to open. Ninety hours and counting.

Walking in, he noticed that some more of the tubes were missing. Each day, he could get a quick assessment of her progress just by doing a visual check on the number of tubes, lines, and monitors she had attached to her body. He took it as a good sign.

Her cheeks looked a little pinker, too. Although, that could just be his imagination. She was still breathing with the help of the ventilator, but as Susanne had informed him, this was not all that unusual given the severity of her injuries. She'd promised to tell him when it became a bad sign. He pulled the armchair to the side of the bed in the same spot he'd placed it the past 3 nights.

He settled into the chair and tossed the blanket over his legs. Releasing a deep breath and leaning his head back against the head rest he let his eyes close for just a moment. And as he felt himself drift off to sleep, he reached his right hand up and gently grasped Lindsay's hand. Giving her fingers a tender squeeze, he tried to clear his mind and get some sleep.

Ninety hours and she waited until he was asleep to open her eyes. Somewhere in the back of his mind, Don Flack was registering some kind of movement, external to himself, that wasn't part of his dream. His hand was tingling and he pulled himself from the depths of sleep to groggily open his eyes.

He looked to his hand first and found that it tingled because the previously lifeless hand belonging to Lindsay Monroe was now tensing and releasing around his fingers. Suppressing a yawn and quickly turning his attention to Lindsay's face, he saw that her eyes were fluttering open. He pushed the chair back and squeezed her hand tenderly as he reached across her to push the button for the nurse.

"Linds'… Linds'…" He whispered to her and held onto her hand. The last thing she needed right now was to freak out.

He could see the fluttering still slightly and then she opened her eyes. They were still partially closed, but he could see the beautiful brown underneath her delicate lashes. Her eyes darted around under heavy lids and he saw what he thought was recognition when her focus settled on his face.

"The nurse will be right here. You're okay. You're safe." And she squeezed his hand. He couldn't help but smile and look down at their gently entwined hands. When he returned his gaze to her face, her eyes had opened slightly wider.

"You're gonna be okay." She just blinked at him. "I'm right here, okay, I'm right here." Then he saw tears fall from the corner of her eyes.

Thankfully Susanne came jogging into the room at just that moment.

"Is our sleeping beauty awake?" She said with a smile as she came to assess Lindsay's condition. Lindsay's eyes darted to the new voice in the room. "Ah, she is up and awake. Wonderful, wonderful." She wrote something down on the chart. "I'm going to go grab a doctor to see if we can get this tube out of your throat, okay?"

Lindsay just blinked and squeezed Don's hand. He was still perched over her so that he could see her eyes. When she turned her focus back to him, he could see the fear in her eyes.

"You're good, Linds. I promise. I won't let anything else happen to you." And he watched as a look passed through her eyes that seemed to calm her in some way. Tears still fell gently from the corner of her eyes, but she kept her hold on Don's hand and she kept her gaze fixed on his.

When the doctor entered the room, he kept hold of her hand, but backed away from the bed just slightly.

"Okay, Miss Monroe… Welcome back. I'm Dr. Park. I'm just going to check a few things here and then we'll see about getting you off the ventilator, okay?" She just laid still. The doctor shined a light in her eyes and then checked the monitors, as well as the chart. He gave some orders to the nurse and then came back to lean over Lindsay so he could look in her eyes as he spoke to her.

"Everything looks good, so I'm going to take the tube off the ventilator and I want you to just try to breath on your own. I know the ventilator probably feels really uncomfortable right now. That's because your automatic breathing functions are kicking in and that's why it seems so strange. Okay, here we go." And with that she gripped Don's hand as hard as he imagined that she could and he stepped closer into her view.

"Good, Lindsay, good. Okay, you're breathing fine on your own, so I'm going to take the tube out now. I want you to take a deep breath and then I'm going to pull it out on the exhale. Ready? 1- 2- 3- exhale." Don squeezed her hand when she exhaled and she squeezed back. He heard her cough and choke a little, but then she settled back into breathing normally.

The doctor gave some additional instructions to the nurse and wrote something on the chart, before his pager went off and he excused himself from the room. Don looked over and saw Lindsay had turned her head to look at him. He pulled up a chair and sat down next to her again.

"Well, Lindsay, this is good news." Susanne smiled at the young woman in the bed. "I'll bring you some ice chips that this nice detective can help you with. I'll warn you that your throat is going to be horribly sore, so don't try to talk just yet. I'm sure he'll have plenty to tell you until then. Be right back." She looked pointedly at Don before leaving and mouthed, "do not scare her…she's still hurt…"

Don turned to Lindsay and saw her try to reach up to wipe the tears from her eyes. Now that the tube had been removed from her throat, the restraints keeping her from pulling out the tube had been removed from her arms. As soon as she raised her right arm, she immediately regretted it and grimaced from the pain it caused.

"Here, let me." He stood and used a tissue from the side table to dab at the corners of her eyes. She gave him a small smile and mouthed "thank you" to him.

He sat back down and moved so that she could see him easily. The nurse returned with some ice chips and silently handed them to Don.

"Do you want to try some?" She nodded slightly.

He released her hand and carefully leaned forward to feed a small spoonful to her. She coughed a little as the first spoonful went down, but asked for a little more after that.

"I think that's probably it for now. Don't want you getting sick on ice chips. I've done it. Not pretty." And he gave her a sly smile.

"Thank you." She whispered hoarsely.

"My pleasure, sleeping beauty."

Don spent the next 40 minutes or so filling Lindsay in on her condition. He told her she'd hear the technical stuff from the doctor, but gave her the highlights as best her could. He'd taken a break when the doctor had come back to talk to her and check her dressing to call Mac. Mac and Stella were stuck at a scene, but they promised to come by later to see her.

When he came back in after the doctor left, her eyes were closed. He was just going to grab his jacket and take off now that he knew Mac would be there later, but her eyes opened when she heard his footsteps near the bed.

"Didn't mean to wake you. Go back to sleep, k?"

She shook her head slightly. "Please stay." She whispered hoarsely. "Please."

"Can't get rid of me that easy, Monroe." He saw her close her eyes and smile tightly. "You rest. Flack's orders."

Over the next few days, Lindsay improved steadily. Soon she was sitting up, just slightly, in bed and was able to drink some clear liquids. By the end of the week, she'd been moved into a private room on a secure floor. She still had patrolmen outside her door, but it was quieter than the bustling ICU.

Adam had spent a good deal of time with Lindsay since he'd been put on medical leave, which gave Don Flack some much needed respite from the hospital. It didn't stop him from coming by to visit with Lindsay, or on occasion, accidentally falling asleep while visiting her in the evening.

Even though all the team had been to visit her, she'd not yet once asked where Danny was. Flack had felt as if the question were on the tip of her tongue several times, but she had not yet asked it. At least not until her 5th night out of the ICU.

Flack had shown up on his day off after getting a full night's sleep. He came bearing some gourmet apple juice, a stack of cards from officers at the precinct, and a few movies to watch. Lindsay was leaning up in bed when he walked through the door. She had on a paid of non-hospital pajamas and looked fresher, despite the purplish bruises that marred her body.

She smiled slightly when she saw him. Her voice was still hoarse from the tube that had been removed nearly a week before.

"Hey Flack."

"Afternoon Monroe. Ready for some company?"

"Please. Going a little stir crazy."

He laid out the goodies that he had brought her and she gingerly reached for the stack of cards and began opening them as Don dropped his jacket on the chair and rearranged the chair to his normal spot next to her bed. He poured the apple juice into her waiting glass and listened as she slightly guffawed at the cards that the officers had sent her.

"Any good ones?"

"Just some cute pictures from Tanner's kids." She held up the picture of flowers and teddy bears.

Lindsay told him about her first session with the physical therapist. He knew how painful that could be. He could see how tired it had made her, but he could also see how proud she was when she talked of walking with the walker for a few minutes. They continued talking for a few minutes and then out of the blue came the question he'd been dreading.

"Where's Danny?" He was surprised and she instantly knew that. He looked up at her and gazed into her eyes. That was all she needed.

"Linds…"

"No, it's okay, Don. Don't say anything." Don was surprised. She rarely called him by his first name. "It's him I should be asking, not you." She blinked back tears and gave him the only smile she could muster. "Thanks for the juice and the movie. Let's start the movie up."

He gave her a knowing look. "Really, Flack, it's okay. No one wants to say where he is and, really, he's the only one that should be making excuses for not being here. I'm not going to put that on you." She reached out a grabbed a hold of his hand that was hovering near the bed. She squeezed it meaningfully. "Thank you for being here. I can't tell you how much it means to me that you've been here. And Susanne told me just how much you've been here. You're a good friend, Don."

He just nodded and leaned forward, grasping her gently under the chin, and tilted her head down so he could kiss the crown of her head. He stepped back and looked at her with a glint in his eye. "If anyone knows how miserable life is in a hospital, it is definitely me. Least I can do is be here." She gave him a genuine smile, the first he'd seen in a while, and leaned back against the raised back of the hospital bed. Don turned and grabbed the DVDs to put one in the player. "So, you've got your choice of a Stella-approved flick or a Don Flack-special."

Lindsay laughed lightly. "Die Hard it is."

_NEXT TIME:_

_Homecoming_


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters

Disclaimer: Not mine. Not pretending like they're mine. Just borrowing. Although, would like to be Don Flack's. 'Nough said.

* * *

**Chapter 9:**

For two weeks, friends and co-workers had been in and out of her private room to bring their well wishes, drop off little treats, and try to quell her ever-growing restlessness. Stella had kept her supplied with trashy magazines and the latest office gossip. Mac would sneak her some decent meals, and some decent reading material. While Mac was sneaking her dinner, Peyton would water the flowers she'd collected during her stay and make sure that she had clean pajamas in the drawers. Her stash of twizzlers remained fully stocked courtesy of Hawkes, who also happened to entertain her with his attempts at hitting on any of her nurses.

And then there was Don. Don Flack didn't bring her anything special. Well, not everyday or every visit anyway. He just always appeared. Sometimes she'd wake up and he'd be there doing paperwork. Other times, she'd get back from physical therapy and he'd have his feet propped up on her hospital bed and have the TV tuned to Sports Center. He didn't make a huge deal about his visits. He was just there, and she loved that.

On the 14th day of Lindsay's imprisonment, however, she nearly lost her mind. She'd received flowers from the lab, the precinct, Detective Angell, the Chief of Detectives, her parents, some concerned citizens, and the FOP. She had received so many, in fact, that she had asked the nurses to share some of them with other people on the floor in hopes of brightening someone else's day. But she hadn't received any daisies until that day. The 14th day. The day she nearly lost it.

The daisies arrived in a small square vase around 4:00 pm. Lindsay had been doing fine all day. Physical therapy that morning, a visit from Hawkes for a gourmet lunch in the cafeteria at noon, and then a leisurely afternoon nap. When she woke up from her nap, the daisies were sitting on the table next to her bed. She hadn't noticed them until she had to call the nurse to help her shuffle to the bathroom. And her jaw dropped.

When the nurse arrived in the room, Lindsay was fully confused. "Did you see who brought those in here?"

The nurse gave Lindsay a perplexed look. "What are you talking about?"

"Those," and she ardently pointed at the daisies, "those in the square vase. Where did they come from?"

"The volunteers came around about an hour ago to drop off flowers and gifts. I think you were sleeping." The nurse smiled, not realizing Lindsay's distress. "Do you want me to see who they're from?" Lindsay nodded numbly in response.

"It just says for 'Detective Lindsay Monroe.'"

"It doesn't say anything else?"

"Nope… sorry…" The nurse gave her a strange look. "Do you want to try to use the walker or do you want to just hold on to my arm?"

Lindsay blinked away her thoughts and responded to the waiting nurse, "let's try the walker."

When Don Flack arrived later that night, he could tell that Lindsay was agitated. No, she was pissed. She was sitting in the chair beside her bed and she was fidgeting. As soon as he lightly knocked on the door, their eyes met and he could see something was wrong.

"Evenin' Linds'"

"Hey Don." She smiled, and he could see some of the tension release from her shoulders.

"You're usually out like a light by now. What's the deal?"

She sighed heavily and looked down at her hands, before looking up to him again as he removed his suit jacket and tie.

"I'm sick of being cooped up." He knew it was more than that.

"Oh, puh-lease, Ms. Monroe. You think I got my shield outta cracker jack box?" He gave her his prize winning grin and sat down on her bed. He scooted back and leaned to his side facing her and just waited for her response.

Her demeanor changed and he saw a flash of something in her eyes. He hadn't seen it in a while. She tenderly rubbed her left hand over her face and adjusted herself in the chair slightly. She turned her head to Flack. "Get me out of here please?"

He grinned at the pained expression on her face. He'd seen that expression before. His nieces tried to use it on him all the time to get extra cookies, or a piece of gum, or a piggy-back ride. He caved.

"Give me 10 minutes. I'll see what I can do." And with that, Don Flack hopped off the hospital bed and took off down the hall. Lindsay gave the empty hospital room a slightly surprised expression, but then shrugged lightly. She glanced involuntarily to where the vase of daisies previously stood on her bedside table. She steeled her mind against the thoughts and turned her attention back to the episode of 'Law & Order' that she had been watching before Don appeared.

Nearing the ten minutes mark, Lindsay heard some shuffling at the entry to her room and turned in time to see Don Flack come rolling in on a wheelchair. He pulled up to her seat with the biggest shit-eating grin on his face.

"M'lady… your ride has arrived." Lindsay just laughed.

"You know, escape is a felony offense."

"I'll take the risk. So is kidnapping. You gonna hop in this thing or am I gonna have to pick you up and carry you off?"

Lindsay laughed. "Alright, alright…" Don pushed himself out of the chair and maneuvered it next to Lindsay's current seat. He gingerly helped her into the wheelchair and then covered her with a spare blanket from her bed. He knelt down in front of her and gingerly lifted her feet into the foot pedals of the wheelchair. Taking his place at the helm, he leaned over Lindsay and whispered in her ear.

"If we get caught, I'm going to tell them I'm arresting you. Just go with it." She giggled again.

"Whatever gets me out of here."

Twenty minutes later, Don and Lindsay were sitting on the roof—Don, on a lawn chair that some hospital worker had left there, and Lindsay, of course, in her wheelchair.

"So, the view's great and all, but are ya gonna tell me what's going on?"

Lindsay sighed. She paused so long that he didn't think she would actually respond. "I got some daisies today."

He chuckled. "Remind me never to get you daisies." She lightly smacked his arm. She looked over to Don who met her eyes.

"I think they're from Danny." And he saw her blink back some tears. And then he was surprised to see that when she opened her eyes again they were full of fire. "No note. Just addressed to me."

"I didn't see any daisies in your room, Linds'"

"I sent them down the hall to Mr. Blake's room. He needed some cheering up and they were at least a little masculine looking."

"Ahh… Gotcha." He turned back to face out toward the city in front of him. He just waited. He knew she didn't want him to make any excuses. This was the first time she'd brought up Danny since that day over a week ago when she'd first asked about his absence.

He felt her hand touch his hand lightly. "Thank you for not trying to explain it all away and just say something to make me feel better. And thank you for helping me escape."

"Anytime, Monroe, anytime."

* * *

A few days later, Don Flack had just gotten off a 37 hour shift and was falling face down into his bed when his cell phone rang. He didn't even care that his shoes were on, that his feet hadn't hit the bed, and that he had flopped face down on top of the comforter. He cared that his phone was ringing…again. "What, what, what??" He groaned and with arms of lead, Don pulled his cell phone from his pocket and answered it without looking at the caller ID. His face was half buried in his pillow and from his prone position, he mumbled into the phone, "Flack."

"_Don_?" Her voice was shaky and he felt himself wake up instantly. He had completely forgotten that Lindsay had a check-up with her doctor that day. He had apparently said that he might discharge her.

"Linds? You ok?" He pushed himself up on the bed and turned to sit on the edge.

"_I can't take the stairs." _She sniffled.

"What?"

"_I can't take the stairs. I can't do it. The doctor said no. The physical therapist said no. I tried to show them I could and I just made it worse."_

"Did you hurt yourself? What do you mean you made it worse?"

"_The doctor said if I could pass the physical therapist's test that I could go home. And I couldn't do the stairs. And then they said that I wasn't _allowed_ to climb stairs."_ And then he heard her crying more significantly on the other end of the line.

He sighed and understood. Lindsay's apartment was a third-floor walk-up. He hadn't even thought about how she was going to get up there or what she'd do when she got home.

"Sit tight. I'm on my way. I'm busting you out of there today."

When Don got to the hospital 30 minutes later, Lindsay was sitting on her bed with her face buried in tissues. She was dressed in a pair of sweatpants and an NYPD zip up hoodie. A cart was filled with her flowers and other belongings that she'd accumulated. He stood for a moment in the doorway just watching her. He stepped back out of the room and trekked down to the nurses station.

"I'm here to take Ms. Monroe home."

"Detective, I'm sorry, but she's not been released yet."

"Why not?" He gave the nurse an incredulous look.

"Let me page Dr. Park."

A few minutes later, Dr. Park approached the nurses station reviewing a chart, which he handed off to one of the nurses. He recognized Detective Flack immediately and reached his hand out to the man before him. "Evening Detective. What can I help you with?"

"Why is Detective Monroe crying in her room?" Dr. Park released a slow breath. Don's face hardened and his brow furrowed.

"I knew she was upset, but I didn't realize the extent. I discussed the possibility of discharging Ms. Monroe today. I sent her physical therapist up to do a discharge evaluation. Lindsay told me that she has a third-floor walk-up apartment. Based on the assessment, she cannot physically handle the stairs. She's suffered a severe injury. The chance of her re-injuring herself are great if she's sent home too early. We need to give her some more time."

Don thought for a moment. "What if she had a place to go where she didn't have to do stairs?"

"I suppose if someone was willing to give her a place to stay with an elevator… then I could discharge her. That is, so long as this person would be willing and able to enforce the restrictions I would place on Ms. Monroe's activities if I did discharge her this evening." Dr. Park gave him a sly grin.

Don felt some heat in his cheeks. "I'm NYPD. I'm good at giving orders and even better at enforcing the rules."

"I'll send her papers in momentarily."

Don turned and walked back to Lindsay's room. Walking in again, she noticed him this time. "Oh, hey Don…" She quickly wiped at her face trying to remove the tears from her cheeks. "You didn't have to rush all the way down here. I'm sorry… I'm being so ridiculous…I should just be hap…"

He cut her off. "I told you Monroe. I'm bustin' you outta here." He winked at her and she just stared at him.

"You're insane. You can't be serious."

"Oh, I am. I'm workin' on 45 hours awake. I think that makes me legally insane. Plus, I have a badge and a gun. What can they seriously do to stop us?" His expression was so incredible, that she couldn't help but laugh.

"You are a strange, strange man."

Don started gathering up the remainder of her things as he searched for her shoes in the small closet. "You really know how to make a guy feel good, Linds." He was still searching for her shoes when the nurse entered the room with the discharge papers.

"Good news, Lindsay. Dr. Park has agreed to discharge you tonight."

"What?? I thought he said…" She trailed off and a smile rose in her cheeks.

"He changed his mind. Here are a list of your restrictions. He means it. Trust me. He finds out you're moving too fast, he'll sic the PT crew on you and you just really don't want that." Lindsay was still grinning as she took the papers from the nurse. Looking over the nurse's shoulder she saw Don Flack grinning like the Cheshire cat from Alice in Wonderland.

"I'll send an orderly to help you guys out to the car with these flowers and things. Take care of yourself Detective." Before leaving, the nurse went to Lindsay and squeezed her hand meaningfully. Lindsay watched as the nurse winked to Flack as she left the room.

Lindsay just started at Don smiling. He returned to his task of looking for shoes when Lindsay spoke. "This still says I can't do stairs. Why are they now changing their mind? What am I supposed to do?"

Don stopped his search and stood. "Linds, where are your shoes?"

"They're evidence. I forgot to have Peyton drop off a new pair. You didn't answer me though. What the heck am I going to do?"

He walked over and sat down on the edge of her bed. "I promised to bust ya out, right?" She nodded. "So, I did." He stopped and looked at the ceiling. "And so I told the doc you'd stay with me since I have an elevator." He flinched like she was going to hit him. But she didn't.

He moved his gaze back to hers. Tears were glistening in her eyes and there was a huge smile on her face. "Are you sure? I mean, I don't want to impose on you, but I … are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure. You're like teeny tiny. You can't eat that much food and it's not like you're going to be boozin' and causin' a ruckus. Ow!" Now she smacked him. "Nah, seriously, Linds. You need to get out of here. I need someone to hang out on my couch. It works. So, whaddya say?"

"I can be a couch bunny." Don smiled.

"Good. Let's blow this joint." She giggled and he helped her into the wheelchair. The orderly arrived and helped them out to the car. She sent the remaining flowers back up with the orderly on orders for him to deliver them to anyone who didn't have flowers.

Don smiled. Always thinking of someone else.

When they pulled up in front of his building, Don looked over to Lindsay, who was grinning madly on the entire drive away from the hospital. "Happy homecoming, Linds." She smiled back at him and reached her left hand over to grasp his quickly. Only, neither of them let go.

_Next time:_

_Restricted activities._


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters

Disclaimer: Not mine. Not pretending like they're mine. Just borrowing. Although, would like to be Don Flack's. 'Nough said.

A/N: The daisies that so upset our dear Lindsay in the last chapter were supposed to be a subtle suggestion that Danny sent them…since in the original Snow Day he left her a daisy for her near the chalkboard note. I know, it was a stretch. Anywho… moving on!

Thanks for all the reviews… Warms a gal's heart.

* * *

**Chapter 10:**

_When they pulled up in front of his building, Don looked over to Lindsay, who was grinning madly on the entire drive away from the hospital. "Happy homecoming, Linds." She smiled back at him and reached her left hand over to grasp his quickly. Only, neither of them let go._

Don gave her hand a squeeze and unbuckled his seatbelt. "Let's get you upstairs." She smiled at him and unbuckled her seatbelt. Don hopped out of the SUV and crossed back behind the car to help her out of the car.

"Nah… now what d'ya think you're doin'?

She looked up at him with a surprised look. "I can actually walk, Flack."

"No shoes, no walking. Period."

"What? I'm fine. It's like 20 steps into the apartment building. No stairs. I've got the hospital booties on…"

"Plead your case all you want Lindsay, but you're stuck with my rules until the doctor says otherwise." Lindsay furrowed her brow and gave him her best indignant look.

"Who died and made you boss?" And she pouted her lip, but made no move to stand on her own. Flack took a step closer to the truck and leaned with one arm on the truck and one arm perched on the open door.

He looked down at Lindsay, who was giving him her best pissy look. "I bust you out and you're gonna fight me now?"

She sighs and washes the pout from her face. "No." She looks at the ground.

"Linds', soon enough, you're gonna be out there runnin' down perps and climbin' stairs, and giving everybody in the lab a run for their money." He knelt down to catch her eyes. "but right now, as much as ya hate it, you're not 100 percent. Take it from someone who's been there. Listen to the docs." He gave her a grin and reached for her hand. "And to me. Ok?"

"Yeah." She squeezed his hand. "I'll do my best. I just … I'm just not used to having a boss outside of work."

"Just pretend like I'm Mac. You'll be fine." They both laughed and Flack stood. "Alright, Ms. Monroe. Shall we?"

"Yes, please." She smiled and leaned forward out of the truck a little ways. She grimaced slightly as Flack gently picked her up out of the truck. He smoothly kicked the door closed with his foot and Lindsay clicked the remote key lock.

His arms were warm and she felt secure in his gentle grip. Secure enough that she leaned comfortably into his shoulder as he carried her. Her shoulder was still mending and there was no way with the breaks in her collarbone that she could lift her arms high enough to reach around his neck. Her nose was close to his neck the way she leaned against him as he carried her. He smelled like aftershave. She's sure it wasn't cologne… it wasn't overwhelming. Lindsay felt her heart rate increase and wondered why she was having this kind of reaction.

Before she could contemplate it, they were already entering the elevator and Flack was telling her to press the button for the 5th floor. She'd never been to Flack's apartment before. She wasn't sure what to expect.

He cleared his throat as they stood in the elevator. In a low tone, "are you okay?"

She looked up at his face. "yeah, I'm okay. Thanks for….umm..carrying me." This was the first time that they had been in such close physical proximity to one another.

"All in a day's work, ma'am." And he tipped his head and chuckled. When he reached the front door to his apartment, he set her down slowly and she handed the keys back to him.

He swung open the front door and then held out his arm for her to hold onto. She took hold with her left arm and leaned on him as they shuffled inside the apartment.

"Well, here it is, Casa del Flack." He helped her over to the couch and then told her he'd be back after he unloaded the stuff from the car. He walked out and she saw the locks being locked from the outside. She took the time to look around his apartment from her place on the couch.

Flack's apartment was a loft. Top floor of the building. The walls were exposed brick, with the exception of the kitchen which appeared to have drywall. The ceiling was also exposed and higher than she expected it to be. She saw three doors over her shoulder and assumed that those would be the bedrooms and bathroom.

She sat back against the pillows on the couch and let out a slow breath. The pain killers were starting to wear off from the hospital and exhaustion had begun to set in.

Just as she briefly closed her eyes, she heard keys outside the door and then Flack was inside the apartment carrying her bags, a walker, and the only set of flowers that she'd kept, the ones from the team.

He gives her a small smile and passes by the living room to drop off her belongings through one of the doors she noticed in her observation of the apartment. She closes her eyes again and opens them groggily when she hears his voice.

"So, Detective, what's the assessment?"

"Masculine, but not as frat'ish as I expected. You've got a really nice place, Don." She smiles as he comes to plop down next to her on the couch. "I really can't thank you enough for rescuing me tonight. And for opening up your home to me."

He tiredly turns his head to look at her. "Rule number 42, Monroe. No more 'thank you's.' 'Cause you're welcome here and I want you to be here. I told ya….I need a couch bunny. So, really, you're doing me a favor. Plus, if I had to carry you up and down three flights of stairs at your place all the time… I mean geez…"

She slapped him on the arm. "Very funny, Don."

"No, I mean, It'd be good cardio and all, but this is just easier." He gave her a toothy grin. "Ah…come on… I'm funny." She grinned back. Her grin turned into a yawn.

"Alright, lights out. I'll set you up and then I'm passin' out. I'm off tomorrow, so we'll figure out the rest then." With that he reached over, lifted Lindsay into his lap, lifting her up as he stood, and carried her into the bedroom. She wasn't exactly expecting to be carried again, but she was so tired she didn't even have the energy to argue.

Flack set her up with her medicine, a glass of water, and was pulling down the covers on the bed. Then she realized that this was his bedroom… She called to him while he was in the bathroom plugging in a nightlight for her. "Don, isn't this your bedroom? I can sleep on the couch…seriously." He came back and was shaking his head. He'd already changed into sweats and a white t-shirt.

"I've got a second bedroom, but I don't want you sleepin' on it. It'll be murder on your back and you're hurtin' enough as it is. Trust me, k?"

"But Don…"

"But nothin'." He walked over to the bed and held up the covers and gently placed Lindsay's feet under them. He fluffed the pillows and helped her lean back into a more comfortable position. He looked her dead in the eye as he finished tucking her in. "You're my responsibility. For now." He saw a flash of indignation in her eyes, but it quickly passed. "So, I'm saying, you sleep here and I'll take the other bed. Sweet dreams, Linds." He leaned down and gave her a peck on the forehead.

"Goodnight, Don." She felt her heart flutter as she watched him leave the room. She closed her eyes and let sleep overtake her.

* * *

The next morning, Don Flack awoke and felt like he was coming out of a winter of hibernation. It was the first time in a long time that he hadn't set an alarm and that his phone hadn't woken him prematurely. Stretching in the bed, he blinked a few times to try to clear his mind. And then he remembered that he had a house guest. He clambered out of bed and exited the room scratching his head. He was getting ready to knock on the other bedroom door, when he noticed brown curls popping above the back of his couch.

"G'morning." He walked around to sit down in the overstuff armchair across from the couch.

"Morning." She said brightly. The walker was standing next to the end of the couch and Lindsay had her legs stretched out on the couch. She had a book propped on her lap and she turned it over to keep her place when Don sat down.

He was rubbing his eyes. "Oh geez, you're a morning person aren't you?"

She laughed. "Not as bad as you'd think. I just didn't want to wake you. And look, I made it out here all on my own without a fall or anything." She winked at him. He gave her a look and leaned his head back against the headrest.

"Good. Coffee?" She nodded, and he padded into the kitchen to start the coffee and scrounge up some food. He was cute in the morning with his 'five o'clock plus' shadow on his face and gravelly voice. Oh geez… where did that thought come from? Lindsay shook her head to try to empty the thought from her brain.

* * *

Some hours later, Don Flack was trudging up the stairs to Lindsay Monroe's apartment with key and list in hand. He'd asked her for a list of items that she wanted from her apartment. He checked the mail and collected it all for her. She been reluctant at first to give him the list, but he assured her that he had sisters and he wasn't going to be all creepy about grabbing some things for her.

She'd relented and handed him the list which included locations for all the items. He wandered around the apartment. First he checked all the locks on the windows and then he started collecting the things on her list. He grabbed clothes, underthings—which he used the blind 'reach and grab' method in the drawers to collect whatever he could and close the drawer again quickly, her date book from her desk, and her phone charger. He was throwing the last few things in the bag when he looked around for the first time. On her dresser in her bedroom, she had pictures of her family, one of her and Stella, and one of her and Danny. He picked up the picture with Danny. It was from Stella's birthday party last year. It was a pretty good picture of Lindsay—and a pretty typical picture of Danny—sly grin, arm around Monroe's neck. He felt a twinge in his stomach and put the picture back. Just thinking about Danny standing there with Monroe made his brow furrow. He was tempted to hide it, but decided that was for her to decide—not him.

He was getting ready to walk out when he heard her house phone ring. He stopped and walked over to check the caller ID. It was unlisted, so he waited for the answering machine to kick on. The person hung up after the message turned on. Flack had his suspicions, but decided not to tell Lindsay. Instead, he erased the hang up message and grabbed the items to head out the door.

* * *

_A few days later…_

Flack came home around 8:00 p.m. and upon opening his door he immediately heard female laughter. Walking in, he smiled when he saw Lindsay sitting on the couch, covered in a blanket watching a movie with Sheldon Hawkes. Hawkes was in the arm chair and was cringing from the scene he was watching on TV. Flack saw Will Ferrell appear on the TV and immediately understood the reason for the laughter.

They both turned their heads when they heard the door close. "Hey Flack." Sheldon reached his hand up to give him a fist bump and stayed seated.

Lindsay was grinning and Flack was glad to see it. "Hey." She said quietly. "Want us to pause it?"

"Yeah, give me five and I'll be back." Don moved to the bedroom to get changed, and he heard the two start talking and laughing almost immediately. He returned in a pair of jeans and a t-shirt and moved toward the couch to sit with Lindsay.

"Ya mind?" He asked? She shook her head and reached for more twizzlers. He gently picked up her legs and sat down, replacing her legs on his lap. He covered up her feet and reached over for the twizzlers she was handing him.

The exchange seemed almost intimate to Hawkes, but he knew that nothing was going on with them. It was just the proximity and the fact that Flack had been Lindsay's nursemaid for almost a week now. Lindsay un-paused the movie and they jumped back into the world of Will Ferrell.

A timer went off a while later and everyone started at the noise. Lindsay reached over and turned off the alarm on her phone. Flack looked to her, "which ones ya need?"

"Time for one of the pain pills and the anti-biotics." He nodded and slid out from under her legs to head toward the bedroom where her pills were located. He came back with her pills and a glass of water.

"Gee, Linds', if I ever get hurt, I hope I can find a helper who's as responsive as Nurse Donny over here."

"Watch yourself Sheldon… might find yourself disappeared." Lindsay nearly choked on her water.

"Easy boys."

Sheldon ducked as Flack walked by. He missed the slight blush that had crept up on Flack's face. He sat back down and re-situated Lindsay's legs again.

By the end of the movie, Lindsay had fallen asleep. The pain killers were working. Sheldon noticed and went to grab a couple more beers for himself and for Flack as Flack carried Lindsay to her bedroom. After tucking her in, he came back out to take his new beer from Hawkes.

"So, how's the roomie situation going?"

"Good, good. She's bored to death, as you've probably realized. She was grinnin' tonight, so that's a good thing."

"Yeah, I figured she was getting sick of just your ugly mug." Hawkes laughed and took a swig of his beer.

"Yer so funny…" Flack gave him a look. "She's stubborn as hell. Only problem we've had is about her sticking to the doctor's restrictions." He handed the papers to Hawkes. They'd been on the coffee table since their argument a couple of days before. Lindsay had wanted to walk down the street to go to a bodega with Flack, but he'd fought with her about it. It'd ended with her shuffling off to the bedroom in a huff and him apologizing by bringing her a cupcake from the bakery next to the bodega.

Hawkes was reading through the list. He chuckled when he read, "no intimate activities, including sexual conduct of any kind." Flack gave him a smirk.

"She blushed when she read that last part." Hawkes just chuckled and handed the list back to Flack.

"She's a touch cookie. I'm not surprised that she's having a tough time being cooped up. Lindsay's not a 'sit and wait' kind of gal."

"No, she's not. But she wants to get better. So, I'm the mean one who enforces the rules and she pouts and then we get over it. She may hate me when this deal is over, but at least I'll know she's okay."

Hawkes smiled. "It's good she's got somebody like you here for her, man. Real good." With that Hawkes stood, clapped Flack on the shoulder, and said goodnight.

Flack just nodded to himself and took another swig of his beer.

_Next time:_

_My hero._


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters

Disclaimer: Not mine. Not pretending like they're mine. Just borrowing.

I'm especially hating on Danny tonight after 'RND.' Used to love DL, now I just can't stand to watch the train wreck in slo-mo. Like literally had my face hidden in the pillow during the Danny and Ricki scenes. shudders

On that note… some fluffiness (finally).

* * *

**Chapter 11:**

_Two weeks later…_

Lindsay Monroe was sweating and she was in pain. She hated to admit it, but Flack was right—physical therapy sucked. Andrea, the very sweet and not-so-gentle physical therapist, was currently urging Lindsay to push with her legs against the therapist's strong arms.

"ARGH. I can't do this. I need a break."

"Yes, Lindsay, you can. Remember, we don't say 'I can't'." Lindsay looked up at the physical therapist who was grinning sweetly. God she hated this woman.

"Yeah, well, you get shot in the gut and then try to do that." Lindsay scowled at the woman and just as she was about to give a retort, the lock clicked on the front door and Lindsay knew that she was about to be rescued.

Looking behind her from her position on the floor, Lindsay saw Flack's form enter the room and give her a grin.

"Well, that's an interesting position." The physical therapist giggled annoyingly. Lindsay just rolled her eyes and groaned. She could hear him chuckle as he moved out of their view and went to drop his bag in the other room. With Flack's arrival, the therapist moved to help Lindsay to a sitting position on the floor and then went to pack up her things.

"I didn't realize how late it was… Well, good session Lindsay. We're getting there!"

Lindsay moved to lean against the couch on the floor while Andrea packed up her bag of tortures. When the woman smiled and said goodbye, giving Lindsay her "homework" until the next session, Lindsay plastered on a fake smile and thanked the woman.

After Andrea closed the front door, Lindsay looked over to see Don leaning against the doorway to the kitchen. He was grinning and taking a swig from a bottle of Gatorade.

"Rough day?" He sauntered into the living room and plopped down onto the floor next to Lindsay.

"You're my hero. Thank you for walking in … I was beginning to think she forgot that our session was over. ….She makes me do the most ridiculous exercises and I really don't see how they're helping. Actually, they just hurt." She gave him a pouty look.

"Linds, I think that means that they're working."

"You sound like my mom."

"Smart lady."

She sighed and threw down the sheet her physical therapist had left her. She reached for Don's Gatorade and he handed it over to her automatically as he picked up the PT homework sheets. Taking a swig of the Gatorade, Lindsay resealed the lid and looked over to Don.

"How was hockey practice?"

"Good, good. It's relaxing beatin' up on other guys on the ice."

She laughed softly. "I'm sure it is."

"I think we can take the firefighters this year. It's about time, too. Those meatheads are so freakin' annoying about that damn title." Lindsay gave him a questioning look. "Losers buy rounds at Sullivan's for the winners. We've spent a lot of money on those bastards in the last five years."

Lindsay gave him a small smile. "When is the game?"

"Saturday. You think you feel up to it?"

"I feel up to anything that means an outing."

"That's what I figured." He smiled at her and took back the Gatorade. "Alright, so we'll have to go a little early since I'll have warm ups. We'll get you a good seat up front that way."

He stood up and stretched. "I stink. I'm gettin' a shower. You want up or you want to stick with the floor?" She started to move her legs around to stand up using the couch as a crutch.

"Alright, stubborn." He moved over to her and put his arm out for her to grab onto and use as leverage to stand up. She slowly pulled herself up, but stumbled a little when she tried to straighten out. "Whoa…" He moved in to grab hold of her to keep her from keeling over. He was careful to avoid her injured midsection. Her eyes were closed and she was evidently trying to slow her breathing. "you okay?"

"Just a little dizzy." She opened her eyes and noticed that Flack was standing very near to her and giving her a very concerned look. "I'm fine, Don…. Really."

"Uhuh." With that he scooped her up into his arms and carried her into the bedroom where he laid her down on the bed. "You. Rest."

She was trying to give him a dirty look and he could tell she was faltering, despite her best efforts. "You know Don… you're pretty damn bossy."

"Yeah, they tell me that. But I'm not havin' you get dizzy, pass out on the floor, and get more hurt on my watch. So I'm gonna get showered and you're gonna rest and then we're gonna order from Lucky Panda." She gave in and lost the pouty look. He handed her the afternoon set of pills she needed and left her to rest. She leaned back in the bed and closed her eyes while Flack walked off to take a shower.

--

Twenty minutes later, a barefoot Flack padded into his bedroom to find Lindsay Monroe staring out his bedroom window. She still couldn't sleep on her side because of the injuries to her shoulder and her collarbone, but she wasn't all that comfortable sleeping on her back from the gunshot wound. He knew she wasn't comfortable and he suspected she wouldn't be able to sleep at all without the pain killers and sleeping medicine the doctor had prescribed.

"Your soap gives you away every time." She spoke before turning her head to face him. He chuckled and moved into the room to sit down on the empty side of the bed. He leaned back against the head board of the bed and stretched his legs out in front of him. His muscles ached in a good way, but he felt exhaustion begin to set in.

"I thought you had guys night tonight."

"Eh, I've had enough testosterone for one day."

Lindsay just laughed. "You know, I'm being enough of a pain …cramping your style and all…" She looked up at him when she spoke next. "Don't feel like you have to stay here and baby-sit me."

He reached over and brushed a lock of hair off her forehead. In a soft voice, he met her eyes and spoke. "Who says I don't want to stay in with you?"

She started to speak but found no words. Her heart was fluttering again. Was it the fact that Don was playing with her hair or because he'd just spoken to her so sweetly. Maybe it was the fact that he was inches away from her in his bed.

"Besides, you're way better lookin' than those guys." With that he gave her the Flack grin and laughed at his own joke. She smiled in return.

--

Don made the call to Lucky Panda and then wandered into the kitchen to call and let the guys know he was backing out of guys night. Lindsay could hear part of his conversation from her place on the couch.

"…just tired... yeah, yeah, yeah…" She smiled to herself. She knew he would get some crap about it.

"…awww come on, man. You know it's not like that." And then Lindsay felt a twinge in her stomach. She didn't like what he'd just said. She wasn't sure where that thought came from, but it hit her like a ton of bricks.

She snapped out of it when she heard his footsteps coming back in the room.

"So, what do you think about Caddyshack?"

"Hmmm… maybe a Lindsay pick and then a Flack pick? I mean we did do the Bourne trilogy last weekend." She gave him a sly grin and he caved.

"Fine. Fine… you win…" Then there was a knock at the door. "You pick what you want, I'll get the food."

* * *

_A few hours later…_

Lindsay and Don had sat on the couch to eat their dinner and had ended up both staying on the couch for the double-feature. Now, at the end of Lindsay's pick, Don was sitting against the end of the couch with his feet on the coffee table and Lindsay leaning against his chest with her legs stretched out on the couch.

His right arm was stretched out along the back of the couch. At some point during the movie, his left hand had come to rest gently on Lindsay's left arm. He could feel her steady breathing as she leaned against him. When the movie ended, he reached for the remote and turned off the DVD player. Lindsay didn't move and he assumed that she was asleep. He leaned up slightly, trying not to move her, and brushing the hair away from her eyes, he could see that she was asleep.

He watched Sportscenter and was flipping channels to find something else to watch when he felt her stir. He hadn't wanted to wake her. In part, he knew she needed the sleep. But he also was enjoying the close contact between them. He felt sort of anxious about the feeling it gave him, but he couldn't help himself.

She made a strange noise. It almost sounded like she was trying to say something. And then she jerked slightly. Her arm tensed and he could feel her breathing increase in speed. She wasn't having a pleasant dream. She was crying out in a soft, mumbled voice. And then he decided that it was in fact a nightmare.

"Linds,…Linds…" He squeezed her left arm gently and ran his right hand through her hair. "Shhh… you're okay." He continued whispering comforting sentiments to her and tried to calm her with his gentle touch, but she was still struggling to awaken from the nightmare.

He leaned up further in his seat and gently pulled her in closer to his chest. He leaned over to whisper in her ear. "Linds, you're okay. I'm right here. Wake up, okay, just wake up." And with a sharp intake of breath, she awake—her eyes wide and frightened. It took her a minute to slow her breathing and to realize what was going on.

She felt strong arms around her, holding her steady. She turned her head in the direction of the warm breath she felt on her neck and found Don was right there trying to steady her. He moved back slightly, but their eyes met, despite the awkward positioning of their heads.

"You with me?"

"Mmhmm… bad dream I think" She replied sleepily. He slunk down in his seat and brought her gently down with him to rest comfortably against his chest again.

He spoke in whispers to her given their proximity. His warm breath on her neck tickled ever so slightly. "You want to talk about it?" She met his eyes and shook her head. They sat that way for several minutes. At some point, she realized that she had begun to relax again, in part, because Don was playing with her hair.

She felt his chest rise and knew that he was yawning. "You ready for bed?" She nodded in response. "K." He gently pushed her up into a sitting position and moved to stand. He turned and helped her move her feet to the ground, but she stopped him.

"Would you mind?"

"My pleasure." He leaned down and picked her up to carry her to the bedroom. As he set her down and started to fluff up the pillows and pull down the covers for her, he laughed. "I think I'm spoiling you, Monroe."

He saw a slight blush creep into her cheeks and an involuntary smile touch her lips. "Maybe a little."

After he got her settled, their eyes met again and he noticed a flash of worry in her eyes. Saying goodnight and turning out the bedside light, he was getting ready to step away from the bed when she grabbed his hand.

"Don…." Her voice was so tiny and quiet… "would you… I mean… can you, can you just stay in here, … please?" He could hear the pleading in her voice. She may not want to talk about it, but whatever she was dreaming about had clearly affected her.

"Sure, Linds. Be right back." He went to change into some athletic shorts and a t-shirt before coming back. He found her wide awake, her eyes wide and staring at the ceiling.

"You want one of the pills?" She shook her head. He knew she didn't like the way that all the medications were making her feel.

"If I can't sleep, I'll talk one a little later… I just… I need to get used to sleeping without them."

He climbed into bed next to her and stretched before settling in to lay on his side facing her. He felt the bed shift slightly as she gently scooched closer to him in the bed. Her hand reached out and grabbed his.

"Thank you for staying."

"No where I'd rather be."

He paused before speaking again. "You sure you don't want to talk about it." She sighed in the dark and he waited for her response.

"Just the same flashes… I still can't remember it all. The gun pressed to my head and being chased by those guys. That's it. It's more like a feeling." She sniffled involuntarily. The moonlight pouring in from the window revealed a tear sliding down her cheek.

He's not sure what made him do it, but the next move just seemed so natural that he couldn't help himself. Leaning in, he tenderly kissed the tear off of Lindsay's cheek. His lips lingered ever so slightly and they felt cold as soon as they lost contact with her soft cheek. She'd sharply inhaled upon the contact and he wondered if she was blushing in the dark. He certainly was.

She turned her head to face him and their faces were mere inches apart. Her brown eyes searched his blue eyes and she smiled lightly. She tipped her forehead into his and let out a sigh. Feeling as though she couldn't control what was happening in that moment, she closed the distance between them and kissed him lightly on the lips. The contact only lasted a few moments, but in those moments she relished the softness of his lips—their warmth and tenderness. She felt him respond immediately, but both pulled away after a few moments.

Their foreheads remained in contact even after their lips separated. When she opened her eyes, she saw his soft smile and she smiled in return. He raised their clasped hands to his mouth and placed a light kiss on her palm.

"Goodnight Ms. Monroe."

"Goodnight Don."

_Next time:_

_The return of Danny._

_(I know… I'm SO evil… Here it comes…)_


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters

Disclaimer: Not mine. Not pretending like they're mine. Just borrowing.

I'm still hating on Danny. Although, I think that will be evident in the forthcoming chapters.

Just focus on those beautiful blue eyes belonging to a certain tall, dark and steamy detective.

Oh fluff, how I love thee.

--

**Chapter 12:**

Over the next few days, Don and Lindsay didn't speak about the kiss. It's not that they purposefully avoided the topic… it just didn't come up. In fact, there wasn't any real reaction to the kiss—except that every chance they got, they were in close proximity to one another.

Lindsay was adamant about weaning herself off the sleeping pills—but it meant that she was suffering through some nightmares and flashbacks about the day in the warehouse. And although Don had not spent another full night in the same bed as Lindsay, he had stayed with her for a couple of nights watching Sportscenter or the news until she fell asleep.

Don was given Friday night off to rest up for the big hockey game on Saturday afternoon. The Chief was feeling especially put out about the Fire Department Chief's smack talk about the game, so he'd sent Flack, his leading scorer, home to rest up. Angell was less than thrilled.

Don was especially looking forward to seeing Lindsay and actually having some time off with her when she'd be awake. The last few days he'd been working more than he'd been home, and even though he'd seen her in the evenings, it had mostly been while she was asleep. Something had changed between them and even though he was wary of moving too quickly with her, he couldn't stave off the feeling of _needing_ to spend time with Lindsay.

Danny be damned. He still didn't know what happened between the two of them, but it hadn't been important enough for the man to stick around…or check in… or call any of his friends to check on "Montana." It'd been nearly a month and a half since the day in the warehouse. Lindsay was making progress and it was all without Messer. Hell, Don considered that progress in and of itself.

So, with a spring in his step and a box of cannolies in hand, Flack headed home. He'd make some pasta and salad and then go from there. Only when he got home, he found more than he bargained for. He walked in to find Lindsay in the company of Hawkes and Adam. And they were engaged in what appeared to be a very serious game of scrabble. He didn't even own scrabble…

"'Sup Flack" Adam gave the young detective a salute. Hawkes gave him a wave. He noticed that when Lindsay met his eyes, she blushed slightly.

"Hey Don."

"Hey… guys…." He set the cannolies down on the table and threw down his keys. Shrugging off his jacket, he kicked off his shoes and loosened his tie as he walked into the living room to join the group. Adam was sitting on pillows on the floor on one side of the coffee table. Sheldon was perched on the ottoman, which he'd pulled up to the coffee table, and Lindsay was sitting back on the couch holding her tiles.

Flack took a seat on the floor next to Lindsay's legs. He leaned his head back on the couch and felt a hand gently touch the crown of his head. Her fingertips gently brushed through his hair, which caused him to involuntarily close his eyes. The contact was lost almost as quickly as it had been made.

"Long day?" She asked.

"Yeah, damn runners."

Hawkes and Adam just chuckled. Flack was always complaining about the runners.

"You want in? We can add you in and spot you some points?"

"Nah, thanks Hawkes. My brain is done today. I'll just watch you guys get your asses kicked by Monroe here."

He knew she was smiling even though he didn't turn around.

"How'd you know she was winning?"

"Please, Adam. I am a detective."

They all laughed.

--

The game went on for another hour or so before Adam and Hawkes threw in the towel. Lindsay's knowledge of useless facts extended to useless, but high scrabble point, words. During the entire game, Flack stayed seated on the floor next to Lindsay's legs. His arm was casually touching her leg, and when either of them moved, the other compensated to maintain the contact. At one point, Flack thought Hawkes noticed something, but he dismissed it when Hawkes accused Flack of cheating for Lindsay.

Hawkes and Adam said their goodnights and gave Lindsay brief hugs before letting themselves out. Flack stood and locked the front door before grabbing the box of cannolies and heading back into the living room to rejoin Lindsay, who was trying to change positions to pull her legs onto the couch. Flack set down the dessert and moved to help her rotate around on the couch.

He sat down on the edge beside her and reached for her hand. He kissed her knuckles. "I thought those two were never going to admit defeat."

"Yeah, well, some guys we know are sore losers." She gave him a full smile.

"Yeah, just some guys." He said and winked at her. "To the winner go the spoils." He handed her the box of cannolies. Her eyes immediately lit up.

"Are these…?... OHH they are!" She nearly squealed with delight as she opened the box to find the cannolies that she had come to love in her two years in the city. She immediately took one and held the box out to Flack for him to take one. He grabbed one and started to stand, but Lindsay used her free hand to grab his.

She just smiled at him and he remained seated. She scooted over to give him more room on the couch and he reached his arm over her body to lean his upper body against the back of the couch.

"Wild and crazy night, huh?"

She giggled. "I've watched every movie you own, Don, plus some. Adam called and wanted to hang out. Hawkes tagged along. And we ended up with scrabble."

He nodded. "At least it wasn't strip poker…Ow!" She smacked him lightly.

The two talked some more about the day. Before long the cannolies were gone and they'd settled into their spots on the couch. Don had never just enjoyed being near someone before. But with Lindsay, he didn't feel the need to do or say anything. He just liked being around her.

When Don went to change out of the remainder of his suit, Lindsay started flipping through the tv channels. Before long, she had settled on 'Walk the Line.' When Don came back, Lindsay felt her cheeks grow warm. He had on a tight fitting black t-shirt and a pair of low-riding grey sweatpants.

He gently grabbed a hold of her shoulders and eased her up so that he could sit down on the couch. She moved around and then settled back against him. He pulled the ottoman closer with his feet to prop his legs up and his arm reached around her to rest on her arm. She took hold of his hand and he could feel her playing with his finger tips.

Don Flack didn't want to mess this up. Danny be damned, but he wasn't going to take advantage of the situation.

He spoke quietly. "Linds?"

"Hmm?" She tilted her head to see his face behind her.

"I uuhh…" And then he suddenly didn't know what to say.

"Something wrong?"

"No, … I mean…. Don't think so. Do you?"

She paused before responding. "No…" She was confused, but she could feel his heart nearly beating out of his chest. He was nervous. Why was he nerv… Oh. She moved to sit up and tried to turn to face him, but felt a painful twinge in her midsection. "Ah…" She said involuntarily and reached for the incision on her abdomen.

Flack moved quickly and helped her adjust to a more comfortable position, which meant pulling her across to lean against the arm of the couch, essentially pulling her across his lap. Concern was etched on his face. "You okay?"

She grimaced, but took a deep breath and the pain faded slowly away. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just need to stop with the lightening quick movements." She smiled at him and he gave her a smirk.

It was then that she noticed their current position. She was almost sitting in his lap with her legs stretched across his body and his arm behind her on the arm of the couch. Lindsay suddenly felt very warm.

"What were you trying to say?"

"Umm…" He looked down to her hands and then took hold of her left hand again. "I just… I don't want you to think…"

She'd never seen him this nervous. "Don." He stopped and looked up to meet her eyes. "Everything's just right."

"I just didn't know about… ya know… and I don't want to pressure you or anything, or make you feel like I'm taking advantage—'cause I'm not, or at least I'm not tryin' to…"

She smiled at him and squeezed his hand to get his attention. "You're not pressuring and you're not taking advantage. There's something…here…I think." She paused and looked away before continuing. She met his eyes again. "We're both adults. We're both single." She gave him a pointed look and she saw a flash of relief in his eyes. "No one's standing in our way, but us."

"No one, huh?"

"Nope. Promise."

With that she smiled at him and he smiled back at her. His right hand released her hand and trailed up her arm to her neck, where he gently took her face in his hand and pulled her to him as he leaned in to meet her. This time, the kiss was more than momentary.

The kiss was soft, but firm. His lips made slow movements against hers and his hand was gently massaging her face. He moved forward to allow her to lean back against the pillows. She was lost in the feeling of the kiss and involuntarily moaned. Flack smiled against her lips and pulled back slightly.

"Well, that's a good sign." She buried her face in his neck and mumbled something against his skin before planting a light kiss on his neck, which sent shivers down his spine. She moved back and met his eyes. Her cheeks were flushed and he was clearly pleased with the effect that he was having on her.

She leaned up to kiss him again. The kiss was still new, but no longer tentative.

"I could get used to this…"

"Me too."

--

_OKAY…Okay…I lied. Danny's returning in the next chapter. Had this idea, wanted to post it, couldn't get to the Danny part tonight. Soon, my pets, soon._

_Next time (FOR REAL):_

_The return of Danny._

_(I know… I'm SO evil… Here it comes…)_


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters

Disclaimer: Not mine. Not pretending like they're mine. Just borrowing.

And here it is folks… your first Danny sighting. This chapter may not be chock-full of the Danny-bashing that you all were hoping for, but give it time. As you may have noticed, I prefer a slow burn rather than a "wham bam thank-ya ma'am."

Your reviews make me blush. Thanks for reading.

PS This whole hockey thing is something my brain made up on its own.

--

**Chapter 13:**

_Saturday late afternoon…_

"Linds! Phone!" Don yelled from the bedroom where he was getting ready. Lindsay was gingerly walking from the kitchen to the family room with the support of a cane when she heard the apartment phone begin to ring. Grabbing the phone from the coffee table, she hit the 'on' button before making the slow movement to sit on the couch before her.

"Hello."

"_Lindsay?"_

"Hey Stell—you on your way?"

"_I'm so sorry Linds. I'm stuck on the other side of town. There is no way I can get to you and then get us both to the Gardens on time."_

"It's okay, Stell. Don't worry. We'll just meet you there."

"_Are you sure? I know I was bringing you a new bag of clothes from your place. Do you have something clean to wear?"_

"Sure, sure. I'll swipe a shirt from Don's closet or something. We'll see you there, okay?"

"_Okay. Sorry Linds! See you soon."_

"Be safe Stella." Clicking the off button on the phone, she struggled with her next thought. She was biting her lip in continuation of that thought when Don emerged from the bedroom wearing his athletic pants and an NYPD SWAT hoodie.

"Who was that?"

"Stella."

He walked past her into the kitchen to grab a Gatorade for his bag and completely missed the look on her face. He was throwing the Gatorade in his bag along with the pile of stuff he had accumulated in the hallway when he realized that Lindsay was still sitting and staring on the couch.

"What'd she have to say?"

"She can't come over to help me get ready first. Traffic." She looked up at Don with this pitiful look that bordered on embarrassed. "Hawkes is going to meet us there, too."

He walked over to her and leaned over with his hands on the arm of the couch. "So, you're going to need some help getting ready?" She blushed lightly and looked at him sheepishly. She nodded and looked down at his hands. He leaned over and kissed her on the top of her head. "No problemo. I'll go get the bandages."

In the time that Lindsay had been released from the hospital, Hawkes had become Lindsay's personal physician—he changed the bandages, checked the stitches, and did what Lindsay couldn't do—put salve on the wound. She just couldn't touch it. But Hawkes had called earlier that morning saying that he'd worked all night and would just be meeting them at the arena for the hockey game.

Stella had already been planning to come over and help Lindsay get "did up" for the game. Lindsay hadn't been out of the house except for doctors appointments, and she had been thrilled when Stella had announced that she was coming over to help Lindsay get cleaned up for the game.

But now, Stella wasn't going to make it. Which meant that she needed her bandage changed and had to get cleaned up without the assistance of a doctor or a female friend. It was all up to Don. Even though they'd been getting…closer…, he still hadn't seen her wound, let alone seen her without her shirt off. She got flustered just thinking about it and that was, of course, the moment that Don reappeared in the family room.

"Alright, let's go get you cleaned up." He reached out his hand and gave her a grin. When she hesitated, he wagged his eyebrows at her and she laughed despite herself. "No monkey business. Scouts honor." Once she was standing, he held out her cane to her and followed her slowly back into his bedroom.

Lindsay took a seat on the bed and focused on unbuttoning the button-down pajama top that she was wearing. Once it was unbuttoned, she felt Don step in front of her and gently slide the shirt down her arms and off her body. She was wearing an old, comfortable cotton bra, and she immediately thought that she regretted wearing something so ratty the first time that Don saw her without a shirt on. She nearly laughed out loud at the thought. She's got a hole in her abdomen and she's thinking about Don undressing her for 'fun.'

Don clearing his throat brought her out of her reverie and she looked up at him. He spoke to her in a soft voice. "How does Hawkes do this?"

She cleared her throat as well and began to move. "I lay back on the bed and I close my eyes and he changes the bandage."

He smiled at her. "You close your eyes?"

She scooted back on the bed and grabbed his arm to help support her as she laid down. "Yeah. Don't like to look at it."

He nodded. "Know what you mean." He sat down next to her on the bed and watched as she closed her eyes. Looking over her torso, he gently pulled at the edges of tape around the long rectangular white bandage covering most of her abdomen. His eyes strayed slightly as he gently pulled the adhesive away from the skin, and he noticed how thin she'd gotten since the shooting. More cannolies for her. Try as he might, he couldn't help but notice her upper body as well. He was a guy after all. Flushing away the thoughts that had immediately emerged in his mind, he returned to the task at hand.

She was holding her breath, her eyelids were squeezed shut, and her fists were clenched. "Am I hurting you, Linds?" And he stopped what he was doing to take her hand, unclench her first, and scoot closer to her head. Reaching one hand over to cup her face, he rubbed his thumb across her cheek. She opened her eyes tentatively.

"No, no. It's not that. I'm just… it's different seeing something like that on yourself." She paused to take a breath. "I don't like thinking about how bad it was. This is just a reminder." She gave him a small smile and looked to the side before speaking quickly. "Plus, it's not like you've seen me like this before and the first time you're seeing all this, you're seeing a very big, very nasty incision. Real pretty…"

"Hey." He moved his head to find her eyes, that were currently focused on his alarm clock on the bedside table. "Hey." She turned her head and their eyes met. His thumb was making soft circles on her cheek. "I'll show you mine before you show me yours. Deal?" She gave him a questioning look, and before she knew what he was doing he pulled off the hoodie and the t-shirt he was wearing underneath. She found herself a little breath taken with the well sculpted shoulders and arms of the man before her. Anyone could tell, really, that he was in good shape, but it was nice to have visual confirmation. She involuntarily smirked. And he sat up straight and then she saw the very large scar that he had on his abdomen. It was like a strange tattoo on his well-sculpted abs. "I healed. You'll be good as new before you know it."

He looked away from her and reached down to find the t-shirt he had dropped to the ground to pull it back over his head. He felt a tickle on his side and realized that Lindsay had reached over to gently trace the scar with her fingertips. They looked at one another with a kind of understanding. He pulled the shirt over his head, and leaned down to kiss her gently on the lips. Moving back down the bed, he finished removing the tape from the bandage and pulled back the gauze to reveal the angry red incision that marred her otherwise perfect stomach. After applying the ointment and putting the gauze back over the incision, he taped his patchwork to her skin and then leaned down to kiss the bandage.

"So, what do you want to wear tonight?"

Lindsay couldn't help but giggle. "Well, Stella was bringing me some clean clothes… so.. we have a little problem there. Got something I can borrow?"

"Sure. How 'bout a NYPD hoodie—that navy blue training one I've got from the precinct?" She nodded.

"And I'll need a t-shirt. All of the shirts I have are dirty or are pajamas."

"Done and done."

Don went to rummage through his closet, and then came back to Lindsay with a white t-shirt and the sweatshirt. She pointed out where her jeans were laying nicely folded in the last bag of clothes that Stella has brought over for her. Don helped her to sit up on the bed and then move to hang her feet over the bed. Taking her hands, Don helped her stand and walked with her into the bathroom. Running warm water in the sink, he got out a washcloth and clean towel for her and left her to wash up.

He was sitting on the bed just waiting for her when he heard her call his name.

"Don, could you… help please?"

He slowly pushed open the bathroom door and found Lindsay leaning against the wall. "You okay?"

"I just get so freaking tired doing anything." She rolled her eyes. "I can't wash my shoulders or my back, 'cause I can't reach." She handed him the wash cloth and turned her back to him. He rinsed the washcloth in the sink and brought it up to her shoulders. He brushed her hair to the side and wiped the cloth across her shoulders and down her back.

When he was done, he patted her dry and then gave her his arm to lead her back into the bedroom. Before she turned around to face him, Lindsay nervously asked, "Don, can you, umm, can you get a clean bra out of that bag over there?" She felt the heat rise in her cheeks.

He nodded to her back and crossed the room to reach into the bag for the intended item. He found one and held it up to her.

"That's fine."

He crossed the room and handed it to her. "Need help getting this one off?" She could hear the laughter in his voice.

"Very funny, Detective. If you want, you can unhook this one and then you can turn around while I put the other one on."

He easily unhooked the bra she currently had on and then, as she requested, he turned away so that his back was to her and gave her time to change bras. When she gave him the all clear, he turned around to find that she was trying to adjust the straps. He pulled them up on her shoulders and smoothed his hands over her arms.

She looked at him over her shoulder. "Thanks, Don."

"Not done yet, Monroe. Although, I think that we may have a chance to win if you go dressed in this get-up. I know those boys from House 42 would especially like it." He winked at her.

"Who's to say the boys in blue wouldn't be so distracted that they'd lose?" She turned slowly to face him.

"Oh, I didn't say we'd be distracted. I just think we've got more class than to stare at a woman in just a bra for 3 periods straight."

She smiled. "Uh-huh."

Don helped her put on a t-shirt, the hoodie, and then, despite an awkward moment of seeing Lindsay Monroe's skimpy underwear, her jeans. After putting socks and shoes on her feet, he left her to finish up her "girly stuff," as he called it, and went to the living room to wait for her.

When she emerged from the bedroom, he looked up from newspaper he was reading and found himself matching her 100 watt grin. She looked fresh… rested… Nothing like the broken woman he'd seen in the hospital that first night after the warehouse. She'd brushed her hair, and the straight locks hung just past her shoulders. It looked like she'd put on a little make-up, not that she needed it. He stood up and walked to where she was standing with the help of her cane.

"You ready to go, beautiful?" She kept the smile on her face and took a step closer to him. She nodded and reached out to grab a hold of his shirt.

"Thanks to you." He leaned down to meet her waiting lips.

Reluctantly pulling away, he gave her his best puppy dog look. "To be continued. After I win the game."

She laughed and they headed out the door.

--

Forty minutes later, Don and Lindsay were entering the arena. Don handed Lindsay off to Stella and Hawkes and left to join his teammates in getting suited up. It took the trio a while to make it to their seats, but when they did, they were pleased with the tickets that Don had scored for them. Center ice, about 4 rows back. The game drew a big crowd—both officers and civilians. The money all went to the fund for injured cops and firefighters. Ever since 9-11, that was a cause that New Yorkers took very seriously.

Angell and Adam joined the group just before the puck dropped for the first period. After the first period, the two teams were tied—despite the protestations of loud fans on either side. After the second period, the firefighters were up by one goal. Lindsay saw Flack skate by and look up at her in the stands. She felt like she was in high school again.

Stella noticed the little twinkle in Lindsay's eye, and was glad to see it. But she chose not to say anything. She just grinned to herself and turned her focus back to the ice.

By the end of the third period, Flack had managed to score a goal, quickly followed by another NYPD goal, and, thankfully, for the remainder of the game they were able to fend off the firefighters.

After waiting for the crowds to clear out, Hawkes, Stella, and Lindsay began to slowly make their way up the long line of stairs to exit the arena. Lindsay kept having to stop to rest.

"Guys, seriously, just go. I'll catch up."

"Lindsay, we're not leaving you stranded halfway up the steps." Stella stood a few steps above Lindsay with her hands on her hips.

"UGHHHH" Lindsay slammed her cane down into the ground. "This is so frustrating!" She took a deep breath and then released it slowly. She closed her eyes and when she opened them again, Hawkes was standing next to her.

"You have to go easy or you're going to end up hurting yourself more."

She nodded and ran a hand over her face. She slunk back in the seat that she had taken refuge in from the steps.

"Seriously, go on. I'll make my way up." She didn't think they'd actually leave her, but they walked away. She couldn't see Flack standing at the top of the stairs from her vantage point waiving off the troops.

He dropped his bag at the top of the steps and made his way down to where she was sitting.

"You know, the game is over."

She opened her eyes and lifted her head from her hands. She laughed. "Nice goal, hot shot."

"Well, thanks." He stopped to kneel on the chair in front of her. "So, you want to ditch this popsicle stand?" She smiled and nodded.

"As soon as I can make it up the steps."

He stood and came to stand next to her. Before she knew it, he had scooped her up in his arms from the seat and was carrying her up the stairs.

"See that's the difference between me and Hawkes. I'll just pick you up and carry you when you're moanin' and whinin'." She smacked him gently. "What? I'm hungry and I'm ready to go home. Let's get a move on."

Hawkes and Stella laughed when they saw Don carrying Lindsay up the stairs. The foursome joined up with some other NYPD officers that they knew and started discussing the possibility of going to Sullivan's. Lindsay was trying to fight a yawn when she got the feeling that someone was watching her.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him, standing some 40 feet away talking to a blonde woman. There was no doubt it was Messer. She could see the badge hanging from his jeans and the gun holstered on his hip. At that point, he turned to see her standing there with the team and with Don. She didn't make any facial expression at all. She was stunned to know that he was in town. Hell, she was angry to know that he was in the same building as her and he didn't make any attempt to come see her. She looked down and looked away. It had all been such a stupid mistake on her part.

She was drawn out of her reverie when she felt a warm hand on her back. Looking up, she met Don's bright blue eyes. He leaned down to whisper in her ear. "What do you say we grab a pint on the way home and hit the couch?" She nodded as he spoke.

She turned her body more fully into his and whispered back. "Are you sure you don't want to go gloat with free beer at Sullivans?"

He paused. "Don, it's a big win. You got a great goal tonight. Let's go for a little while…" She waggled her eyebrows at him. "I know you want to…"

"Ahh. Alright. Just for a little while. Then you, me, couch…. And that to be continued thing from earlier." He gave her a short hug. The group had started to walk ahead of them as Flack walked slowly behind with Lindsay.

"Like you said the other night… to the winner go the spoils." And shockingly, she saw a flush come across Don Flack's face. He reached out and took her free hand in his and they handed out to the car.

--

She'd seen him and he knew it. It was cowardly, he knew. He'd run. They'd been building up to this one big moment and then she got hurt and he ran. And now, she looked okay. She was safe and healthy. But the look on her face when she'd seen him… it was cold. He shook the thought from his head. He probably deserved it.

She and Flack looked cozy. More cozy than just friends.

He turned his attention back to the busty blonde that was talking to him. There was nothing he could do now.

--

_NEXT TIME…_

_The party continues… _


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: Not mine. Not pretending like they're mine. Just borrowing.

I think that a very astute observation was made by DistractedlyHere in a recent review. Flack is not always the white knight that I've made him to be. Time to get his hands dirty, m'thinks. All those angry with Danny will find some relief I think.

Even though I don't PM all of you wonderful people who have taken the time to review… I do appreciate it and you're all lovely!

Enough mushiness—got to save some for the story. Shorter chapter, but the best I could do for tonight.

--

**Chapter 14:**

Two hours into the official after-party, the firefighters and officers in attendance were feeling pretty "chummy." No fights, no problems—despite the massive quantities of liquor and beer that were being consumed by all involved. Flack and Lindsay had settled into one of the back booths at Sullivan's. Lindsay wanted to be social, but was afraid of being bumped into in the very crowded bar; Flack wasn't complaining about some privacy with Lindsay.

Hawkes and Adam were using the booth as a base of operations, but had committed themselves to making the rounds and, apparently, to meeting every single woman in the place. Neither seemed to be having much success. It was during one of Adam's change of venue (from the back of the bar to the front) that he noticed one Danny Messer nursing a beer at the corner of the bar in the company of a bottle-blonde. Adam went over to say hello, and was shocked by Danny's level of intoxication.

"Hey man…"

"A-DAM" Danny stumbled into the bar spilling some of his beer on his hand. "Whoa… gotta watch that one."

"What's up, man? How you been?" Danny's eyes slowly traveled to meet Adam's waiting gaze. He saw Danny roll his eyes a little and shrug his shoulders.

"Nothin', nothin'" Then the blonde leaned over and whispered something into Danny's ear. Danny laughed and then nearly fell into her lap. Adam gave a confused look to no one. Danny was acting…strange. Stranger than normal drunk Danny.

"Listen, man, I'll talk to ya later." Adam didn't even think that Danny heard what he said. He just backed away slowly and headed back to the back of the bar.

He signaled for another round to the bartender and grabbed a seat across from Lindsay and Flack, who was acting like a human shield in the booth for her. He glanced across the room and saw Hawkes chatting up a beautiful brunette. Turning his attention back to Flack and Lindsay, he failed to notice the look they had slipped between the two of them while he was distracted.

The bartender arrived to drop off the fresh drinks for the table. "Linds, I just had him bring a Shirley temple. Looks fancy, but cool with the meds." Adam gave her a wink and she returned a smile.

"Thanks Adam."

"So, I was up at the bar trying to talk to that gooorgeous red-head and then you'll never guess who I saw?"

"The mystery guest is your excuse for getting shot down by the hottie?" Flack gave him a questioning look and fought the smirk from his face. Underneath the table, Lindsay smacked his leg.

"Ha, ha, you're _so_ funny, Detective…. She's married. But that's another story. No, I saw Danny. He's back and apparently he's drunk."

The smirk fell from Don's face immediately, and Lindsay felt the man beside her tense upon the mention of the name. She took a deep breath and felt his eyes turn to her. She heard Adam blabber something about a blonde with huge … and then Don was standing and moving away from the table.

"Don! DON!" She yelled at him, but the noise in the bar clouded her words and they were drowned out the moment that crossed her lips. She looked helplessly at Adam, who looked seriously confused.

"What? Where's he going?"

"After Danny" she said as she tried to scoot gingerly out of the booth. Before Adam realized what was happening, Lindsay Monroe, sans cane, was trying to rush to the front of the bar in the same path Don had used.

"Linds! Linds, wait." Adam jumped up and took off after her. He was doing his best to get in front of her to protect her from the throngs of drunk civil servants, but just as he was successful in doing that, she was shoving him out of the way to see the stand-off that was occurring at the front of the bar. Don versus Dan. This was not good.

Lindsay's breath was taken away when she actually saw him up close and in person. Since the moment she saw him in the arena, she had somehow managed to convince herself that she had somehow imagined it—like a mirage. But now, there was no denying it. Danny Messer was back in town and had no excuses.

She stopped and felt her arm go to Adam's to steady herself. The noise drowned out from the bar as she watched the scene before her unfold. She noticed the blonde that Adam had referred to. She was perched on a stool at the corner of the bar. Her hand was hovering over Danny's bicep as he leaned back against the bar holding his beer. She was using her fake nails to trace shapes on his arm. Lindsay's attention transferred from the woman's fingers to Danny's face. He was scowling and his narrowed eyes were trained on the imposing figure of Don Flack.

They were…exchanging…words. Don's face was contorted and she could feel the venom in his voice despite not being able to hear exactly what was being said. And then all of a sudden it stopped and Lindsay felt all eyes on her.

"Linds?" She drew her eyes to Flack's and his face softened immediately. She turned to face Danny and felt her brow furrow as she turned to him. He was still scowling. He was clearly drunk.

"So, what… Montana… you with him now?" She released her grip on Adam's arm. She steeled her face and tried to stand straighter. Danny raised himself from leaning against the bar. "Is that what this is? You and him?" He scoffed. "That's just… that's just fucking perfect." His voice raised to a yell to end the statement. He spilled more of his beer and Lindsay involuntarily took a step backward and bumped into Adam.

Danny was swaying slightly in front of the bar. Some of the officers and firemen in the general vicinity had backed up slightly. A patrol officer on the hockey team with Flack approached the tense little group and Flack waived him off.

Lindsay rose her eyes from the ground and with angry tears in her eyes she addressed Danny for the first time. "You have no right to call me that anymore." She paused to make sure he was listening to her. Taking a half step forward she continued. "You have no right to say much of anything to me anymore."

Danny stared her down. He forcefully slammed his beer on the bar. "You're jumping into his bed and you want to lecture me about what I can say?" He took another step toward Lindsay and before she could contemplate what was happening Flack was in the middle. Flack put one hand on Danny's chest and pushed him up against the bar.

"Back off, Messer. She's taken enough of your shit." Flack nearly growled the words.

Danny swatted his hand away and then took a very unbalanced swing at Flack. Flack was able to dodge most of the hit, but when Danny stumbled, he caught the edge of his fist on Don's chin. At that point, their corner of the bar erupted and Lindsay felt herself being pulled back and into Adam's arms as officers rushed in.

Flack emerged from the crowd with two of the officers that Adam recognized from precinct. He was clutching his right hand and muttering expletives.

"Don't worry man, he was out of line. Martin will get him home and make sure he sobers up. No ones gonna say nothin'."

Lindsay was finally able to wriggle her way out of Adam's arms and turn to face a very pissed off Flack.

"What the hell happened?" She had her hands on her hips and looked very annoyed.

Don looked sheepish and when the officers heard Lindsay's tone, they patted him on the shoulder and took off. He shrugged and looked at his shoes. Looking up, he met her eyes. "He's going home with Martin." He stepped closer to her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders and tugged to guide her back to the booth.

Sliding into the booth, Don sat down next to her. He took a big swig of his beer and as he was setting it down, the bartender walked over and dropped off a dish towel full of ice. He nodded his thanks and then turned to face Lindsay who was staring off into space.

"Linds.."

"Did you hit him?"

He nodded and turned his focus to the ice pack he was holding on his hand. "Only because he hit me first, Linds."

"Yeah, I saw that much." She let out a big sigh. "I can defend myself, you know."

"Yeah, I do know. I also know that that jerk is the same jerk who left on the day that you were shot. He's the same jerk who hasn't called, who hasn't written, … hell, he hasn't even sent a damn text message, Lindsay." He paused and put his finger under her chin to turn her face to his. "And he's going to come here, saw those awful things, and ruin our night with that blonde tramp." He shook his head. "I wasn't tryin' to be all Neanderthal. I just…" And he shook his head and looked down.

This time it was her fingers that tilted his chin to meet her gaze. "I know…. I was just a little shocked. And I just don't want him to affect me like that…to make me so _angry_."

"Linds, he was saying terrible things." She nodded. "And I couldn't let him say those things about you…about us. It's not true. It's not right."

"He has no right. Never did." She leaned closer to him. She leaned her forehead into his chin. He tipped his lips forward to plant a gentle kiss on her temple. Putting some space between them, Lindsay leaned back. "How's your hand?" She reached up to finger the edge of the dish towel wrapped around his knuckles.

"Eh. Takin' a hit for my pride." She gave him a small smile. She gently unwrapped the towel to reveal the angry red knuckles. She pursed her lips and then rewrapped his hand. She let her hand trail up his arm and her fingertips began to make small circles on his forearm.

"So, pretty much anything we do at this point will fuel speculation about us." He nodded. "Do you want to stay or do you want to go?"

"Wherever you're going, I'm followin'." She smiled again, but then rolled her eyes dramatically.

"We've got to work on your pick-up lines." Don stood up from the booth and threw his bag over his shoulder. He reached out to help Lindsay stand and then reached across her to grab her cane.

He leaned down to whisper in her ear. "Do you care what they speculate?" She shook her head no.

"Good." With that, he took her free hand in his and led her from the bar.

_Meanwhile on the other side of the bar…_

"They look awfully cozy over there…"

"Adam, seriously, I highly doubt there is anything going on between them. She's just staying with him while she recuperates. I've been over there with them…so have you… I mean seriously…"

"NUH-UH." Adam was as close to being speechless as he could ever expect to get. "He just kissed her head!"

Hawkes just shook his head and laughed. "You need to watch less tv, Adam."

"I'm telling you… Flack got all defensive-macho-boyfriend guy when Danny was saying shit about Lindsay. _Something_ is going on."

And just then, Hawkes witnessed the evidence that Adam was looking for. The pair in question stood from their booth and after whispering something in her ear, their hands met in a grasp that was not that of friends or utility—their fingers were interlocked in a grasp of attachment.

"Maybe, Adam, maybe."

_NEXT TIME:_

_Things heat up at home and at the lab._


	15. Chapter 15

Disclaimer: Not mine. Not pretending like they're mine. Just borrowing.

Despite my continuing distaste for Mr. Messer, I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised with the way that the Mac-Lindsay interaction played out last night. I was too distracted to see what would happen on the show to write. Hopefully this will suffice.

--

**Chapter 15:**

Two days later, Don Flack was walking through the crime lab seeking Stella, but ended up face to face with Danny Messer. It was unavoidable. It was bound to happen. And after a momentary pause, Don Flack crossed to the other side of the hallway and walked on. Although he'd never admit it, he took secret pleasure in the shiner that Danny was sporting. He flexed his right hand involuntarily. If only those damn glasses hadn't busted up his knuckles so much.

Flack found Stella in the trace lab with her head down in the microscope. Adam was leaning against the counter next to her and they were engaged in a quiet conversation.

"…no seriously, Stella, you had to see it."

"See what, Adam? Flack and Linds.." And Stella's words were cut off by Adam clearing his throat in an absurdly loud manner. Adam rubbed the back of his neck and gave a meek hello to Don.

"'Sup Don." He then quickly turned around to another station. Stella raised her eyes from the microscope and gave Don a once over. He seemed …different. She gave him a small smile and a 'hello.'

"What's his deal?" Don furrowed his brow slightly. Stella shrugged.

"Who knows."

"Picked up Seymour Green. Started cryin', waivin' his rights, and admitted to it all. Givin' him a chance to get a lawyer just to be safe."

"That is great news." She pulled off her gloves. "That means I can take off and get some rest and come back to all this later." She smiled and followed him out of the lab and down the hall. "You off?"

"Yeah. Finally. Ready for a rest."

"Wanna go grab a bite? Maybe you can give me the run down on why your hand is bruised and why his ego and eye is?"

"Thanks for the offer, but I got plans."

She raised her eyebrows. "Oh yeah…" She smiled knowingly at him.

He gave her a smile back. "Yeah." He cleared his throat. "See ya Stella."

--

Danny watched Flack walk through the halls with Stella from the safety of the reconstruction room. They were both smiling. He felt like an ass. After Sullivan's, he woke up the next morning with a hangover, a headache, and a woman he barely knew. Teresa was her name. Maybe it was Tracey.

He'd wanted to call and apologize to Lindsay. Hell, he'd tried twice, but her apartment phone just rang and rang.

Danny watched as Don waived a goodbye to Mac and headed for the elevator. Danny was still staring off into space when Mac stopped at the reconstruction room. Mac hadn't really…talked…to him yet. Poking his head through the glass door, Mac leaned in. "Messer. My office. Ten minutes."

Danny nodded and released a deep breath after Mac walked away. Here it comes.

--

Mac and Danny had a long, long discussion. About how he no longer had any vacation time left given all the time he had taken off over the last month. Mac avoided the topic of Danny abandoning Lindsay on the day she was shot and instead decided to focus on the topic of Danny's black and blue eye.

"What to tell me what happened?"

"Do I need to tell you, or do you already know?" Danny was already on the defensive.

Mac sat back in his chair and tapped his pen on the desk. "You know, Danny. I've cut you a lot of slack over the last month. Especially considering I was down two CSIs. I would think that if I asked you a question you'd answer it."

Danny ran a hand through his hair and leaned back against the chair. Slumping down he let out a slow breath. He nodded. "Fair enough. I was on the losing end of a nasty right hook."

"Anything that needs to be dealt with?"

Danny shook his head. "Nah. I need to uh…do some apologizin', but it won't affect anything here."

"You sure?"

"Positive. If I think it will, you'll be the first one I tell."

Mac nodded. "okay." With that he turned his chair to face his computer and started typing as Danny let himself out of the office.

--

Flack arrived home about 40 minutes later. He dropped his bag on the ground and put his gun away in the cabinet. Loosening his tie, he looked around the apartment and didn't initially see Lindsay. Then he heard a noise coming from the kitchen.

"Linds?" Concern lacing his words.

"I'm fine. In here!" He walked into the kitchen and found her sitting at the kitchen table stirring something in a bowl very slowly. She smiled when she saw him. "Hi."

He returned her smile. "Hi yourself." He sat across from her, peering in the bowl first and realizing that it looked like chocolate. He went to stick his finger in the bowl and Lindsay slapped his hand with hers. "Ow!"

"Be patient." She smiled at him and he sat down across from her. They chatted about their days and Flack filled her in about the collar he had just made on his case with Stella. He left out the part about running into Danny. He and Lindsay hadn't said anything else about that night in Sullivan's, and, frankly, Don didn't think anything else needed to be said.

He watched as she spooned the brownie mix into the casserole dish sitting on the table. She pushed it toward him when she was done and he stood to put the dish in the oven. She set the egg timer and stood up with the help of her cane. She took a moment to stretch slightly before beginning to walk slowly toward Don.

He met her in the middle of the kitchen and wrapped his arms around her. "Tired?" She nodded against his chest. "So, what else did you do today in your boredom?"

She pinched his side and he squirmed. "Hmm… let's see… I finished that soduku book that Hawkes bought me. And I may have…" the end of her sentence faded as she buried her face in his shirt.

"What was that?" He laughed and pulled back from her slightly to see her face. She looked a bit embarrassed.

"I said that I may have organized your ties." He chuckled.

"Organized how?"

"Favorite to least favorite." She grinned. She wouldn't tell him that it was actually from least ugly to most ugly.

"Let's go see." They walked over to the bedroom and Flack surveyed her work. He knew immediately that his least offensive ties were on the front of the tie rack and the others were hanging in the back. "Thanks Linds." He leaned over to kiss her on the cheek. "Now I'll be sure to wear the good ones more often." He winked at her.

She yawned and he felt her lean into the kiss. "Did you sleep at all today?" She shook her head. "I could use a nap, how 'bout you?" She nodded and stepped into his embrace. Running his hands through her hair, she sighed and felt herself melt into his arms. Just then, the egg timer that she had carried into the bedroom went off.

Releasing her, Flack stepped back to turn off the timer. "Hold that thought."

While Don went to the kitchen to take the brownies out of the oven, Lindsay began the slow process of laying down on the bed. She was just getting settled when Don came back in the room. He didn't think much about it, but started removing his work clothes. Taking off the tie, he held it up to Lindsay. "Ugly or really ugly?" She giggled.

"Middle of the road." He hung the tie up in the middle of the rack. He pulled the button down shirt from his pants and began unbuttoning it. Tossing it in the hamper, he pulled the undershirt over his head as well. He heard a low whistle and turned around to see Lindsay giggling on the bed.

"What? You think this is a show or somethin'?"

"Maybe." She waggled her eyebrows at him. He grinned at her and threw his undershirt at her. He unbuckled his belt and slid his pants down. She threw the undershirt back at him and found herself trying to look away from Flack's half-naked body. He pulled on a pair of black athletic shorts and crawled onto the bed next to her.

Sliding up next to her on his stomach, he spoke softly to her. "Enjoy your peep show, Ms. Monroe?" She blushed furiously.

"Don't flatter yourself Flack." He just nodded.

"Yup, you did." She smacked his arm; his nicely shaped arm. She felt a heat rise in her cheeks.

"So what if I did?" And he smiled at her. Leaning up, he kissed her. It was firm, but tender. Their kisses were always very controlled—like they knew exactly which way to move and what to do next. They hadn't done anything but kiss yet, but that didn't mean that the thought hadn't crossed their minds.

Don reached up to gently touch her face with his fingertips. He ran them down her neck and felt her shiver at his touch. He smiled into their kiss and felt her smile in return. He scooted closer to her and laid on his side, his body flush with hers. He reached his arm across her body and took hold of her hand with his. Leaning back down to kiss her, he felt her nuzzle his cheek and then meet his lips. This time, she responded with more strength than she had on previous occasions.

Breaking the kiss to catch their breath, he leaned his forehead against hers. "This okay?" She nodded and kissed him lightly on the lips. "Can't resist me can you?" She laughed.

"Damn…you figured it out."

"In all seriousness, I missed you today." She found herself scooting even closer to him on the bed and kissing his chin.

"Me too." He leaned in to kiss her again.

Before long the lengthy kisses had turned into a full-on make-out session. Lindsay felt herself moan into Flack's mouth. That got him going. His hands fidgeting to roam around her body, but he was restraining himself…and then she moaned. He couldn't help but moan back. She was running her fingernails along his back and it caused him to shiver uncontrollably.

When her hands dipped lower and crossed his abdomen, he pulled back from her and met her eyes. "As much as I'm loving this… 'cause don't get me wrong, I am." He paused and swallowed. "I think we need to stop … or at least slow it down." She pouted her lower lip and brought her hands up to his face.

She was trying to pull him down to kiss her again. "Just one more." He gave her a look and planted a gentle kiss on her lips. She tried to respond eagerly, but he cut her off.

"Oh… you're killing me Monroe." He leaned his head on his arm and rested on his side. She grinned and turned her face to watch him.

"I'm sorry, Don."

"No, you're not."

"It's just that … ahem … I think we need to take it slow. Slower." She nodded in agreement. "Plus, your doctor hasn't given us the go ahead yet." He winked at her and raised his arm to protect himself from the impending arm swat.

Lindsay smacked him on the arm and then took his hand in hers. "That would be a difficult set-back to explain to Mac."

"Please Linds. No talking about Mac in bed." She yawned and closed her eyes briefly. She looked beautiful—her cheeks were flushed and her lips were swollen from his kisses. "Sweet dreams, Linds." She didn't answer because she'd already begun to drift off. He kissed her temple and aligned himself next to her and let his eyes close.

_NEXT TIME:_

_A birthday._


	16. Chapter 16

Disclaimer: Not mine. Not pretending like they're mine. Just borrowing.

--

**Chapter 16:**

_Nearly a week later…_

Lindsay put the key in Don's apartment door and turned the lock. As she shuffled inside, she smelled something sweet in the air. It smelled a lot like …cake. Stepping inside the door, she closed it behind her, locked it, and put her keys on the side table. She was walking tiredly into the kitchen when she was startled by a figure appearing in the kitchen doorway.

Lindsay nearly jumped out of her skin and she dropped her cane. "Oh my gosh…"

The woman in the doorway swore under her breath and clutched her chest. "Jesus, Mary, and Joseph."

Both women stared at each other for a moment, and Lindsay smiled first. "You must be Mrs. Flack." She started to reach down for her cane and found the woman bend down before her and stand the cane up for Lindsay to reach.

The woman smiled as she stood, "and you must be Lindsay." She took a step closer to the younger woman and crossed her arms before her. "I have heard quite a bit about you, young lady. Nice to finally put a face to a name." Lindsay found herself involuntarily blush and her eyes skimmed the floor.

Now that is the kind of reaction she liked to see in a lady friend of her son. Touching the young woman's arm lightly, she searched for her eyes. "How about a cup of coffee?" Lindsay returned her smile and followed her into the kitchen.

Don's mom pulled out a chair for her at the kitchen table and turned to ready her cup of coffee. Lindsay set the cane against the table and surveyed the scene. Don's mother was dressed in black pants and had a button down shirt rolled to her elbows. Her silver hair was pulled back into a neat ponytail at the base of her skull. When she delivered the coffee to Lindsay at the table, Lindsay noted the soft application of makeup to the older woman's face. She made no attempts to hide her age… only to highlight her bright blue eyes.

"Thank you, Mrs. Flack."

"Oh, tut… call me Mona." She turned back to the counter to continue her previous task.

"Okay, Mona." Lindsay took a sip of the coffee. She felt very at ease with the woman; it was similar to her initial ease with Flack.

"So, DJ tells me that you're doing better with the physical therapy."

"DJ?" Lindsay gave her a surprised look.

Mona wiped her hands on a towel and checked the timer before taking hold of her mug and sitting across from Lindsay. "My own little nickname to keep my Don's straight. He'd probably die if he knew I told you about it."

"My lips are sealed." She smiled and Mona gave her a prodding look. "Actually, the physical therapy is going really well. I just got back from meeting with my doctor who gave me the go ahead for part-time desk work." Lindsay was grinning from ear to ear by this point.

"That's wonderful news…" Mona sipped her coffee. "You feel ready to go back?" After years of living with a Detective who'd had his fair share of battle wounds, she knew it was dangerous territory to question an eager and injured cop.

Lindsay hesitated. "I feel ready to be off of the couch." She couldn't believe she was going to tell Don's mother this after only knowing her for fifteen minutes. "I'm glad I'll be starting in the lab." She felt her lower lip tremble slightly and fought the feeling. "I think I need some more time before I can go back out in the field."

Mona could see the inner battle that the young woman was fighting. She'd seen it before. "It's our little secret." She reached over and placed her hand over Lindsay's hand that was cupping the mug of warm liquid. Mona winked at her and then the timer went off.

"Ah, finally." She stood and used the pot holders to remove the cake from the oven. "I always make a cake for DJ for his birthday. He works such odd hours that I usually just come over and make it here and leave it for him. Saves me having to carry the cake and then I know his oven has been used at least once this year." She chuckled at her own joke.

Lindsay and Mona moved their conversation to the couch while the cake cooled. Mostly, Mona asked about Lindsay's family and Montana. Forty-five minutes into the conversation, Lindsay's cell phone rang. She held it up for Mona to see.

"Hi Don." She smiled when she said his name.

"_Hey you._ _Just callin' to see how the appointment went."_

"Fine. He said I'm healing well. Increased PT, less restrictions…"

"_like the good kind of restrictions?"_

She felt heat rise in her cheeks as Mona watched her. "I'll tell you later."

"_Tell me later? What? Tell me now."_

"Be patient, Donald." Mona nearly spit out her coffee. At least she knew Lindsay knew how to handle her son. "It's a surprise."

"_Alright, alright. Well, the case picked up. I'm stuck here until Hawkes gets this goo analyzed. I'll call later."_

"Okay. Be safe. Bye." And she heard the other end of the line click off.

"Patience was never his strong suit." Lindsay chuckled.

The women returned to the kitchen and to their conversation and iced the birthday cake that Mona had made. When they finished, Lindsay had a sudden thought.

"Don is stuck at the lab waiting for one of the other CSIs to finish a very long process for analyzing some biologicals. What do you think about us taking his cake to him there?...Don has been so wonderful to me … letting me stay here and helping me get to doctors appointments. I'd be lose without him. I'd kind of like to thank him by embarrassing him at work on his birthday."

"I knew I liked you. Let's wrap this up!" Mona started the hunt for tin foil and Lindsay set to work texting Stella to keep Don at the lab.

--

_30 minutes later…_

Riding up the elevator to the lab, Lindsay started to get a little nervous about the plan. Mona held the cake covered in tin foil close to her chest. When the elevator hit the 14th floor, Lindsay and Mona looked at each other before stepping off. Lindsay slowly led the way through the hall. The minute that she was spotted, people began coming up to the pair and wishing her well and raving about her quick recovery.

_Doesn't feel very quick._ She thought. But she smiled and thanked them for their well wishes. She led Mona to the cafeteria and showed her where the extra stash of plates and forks were hidden. She promised a quick return and wandered toward the DNA lab in search of Don Flack. As she approached the lab, she saw Don leaning back in a chair shooting paper wads into the waste paper basket. Hawkes was leaning over a microscope and taking notes. After pausing in the hall, she felt someone watching her.

Turning slightly, she saw Danny sitting at his desk in their office watching her. When she looked toward him, he gave her a slight wave and looked back at his work. She gave him a slight wave back. Strangely, she felt none of the anger that she felt that night in Sullivan's. She walked over to the office and tried to open the door. With some difficulty she was able to pull it part way open, but Danny stood to open the door the remainder of the way for her.

"Thanks." She stepped inside the office and leaned against the nearest table.

"No problem." He strode back to his seat and folded his arms in front of him. "Listen, Lindsay… I just wanted to say I'm sorry." He paused and looked down in front of him. "I'm sorry for a lot of things." He met her eyes and she could see the sincerity seated in his blue orbs. "I just wanted you to know. Hopefully some day you'll be able to forgive me."

"We're okay, Danny." She gave him a small smile. "Plus, I think Don probably deserves an apology for the swing you took at him."

"Already did. My birthday gift to him. That and agreeing never to bring up the black eye again." She laughed.

"Cake in the cafeteria in 10." He nodded and watched her leave. He hated watching her leave. He felt like the room dropped 20 degrees the moment she left, but he had to remind himself that it was all his doing. He sighed and returned to the report he was writing.

Lindsay walked over toward the DNA lab and found Don intently focused on wadding up a new set of paper basketballs. When she got to the door, he looked up and his smile lit up the room.

He rose quickly to open the door for her, causing Hawkes to look up from the microscope.

"Hey, what are you doing here?"

"Well, I'm just full of surprises today." She said with a smile and a wink. Flack raised his eyebrows.

"Good to see you, Lindsay." Hawkes gave her a wave.

"Meet us in the cafeteria as soon as you're done." Hawkes nodded and returned to his scope. She turned to Don. "Com'on birthday boy." He followed her out of the lab slowly peppering her with questions. "I plead the fifth. Wow, patience is really not your strong suit."

They were turning into the cafeteria when he responded… "you sound like my… Mom, hey!" He walked over and gave her a hug and then turned to give Lindsay a questioning look.

"Lindsay and I decided to surprise you. Happy birthday, Don." She smiled and hugged him again. Leaning up to kiss him on the cheek, she whispered in his ear. "You left out the part about her being sweet AND beautiful." She swatted him on the shoulder and set herself to the task of arranging the plates on the tables.

"Go get your friends, Don. We've got cake!" And she swatted at the air to shoo him away. Lindsay just giggled and watched Don walk out of the office.

A few minutes later, Mac, Stella, Hawkes, Adam, a few of the lab techs, and Peyton had congregated in the lab. Danny entered nearly last and hung near the back of the crowd. Mona made her rounds to the co-workers that she knew from the time Don was in the hospital. She greeted Danny with open arms—the underlying, though fading, tension between her son and the young detective unbeknownst to her.

Lindsay was being greeted by her co-workers and friends warmly. She'd taken a seat near the cake feeling severely depleted after all the days activities. Mac came to stand behind her and put his hand gently on her strong shoulder. Giving it a slight squeeze, she looked up at him brightly.

"I have good news for you later." She smiled.

"Cake first, work later."

After an embarrassing rendition of 'happy birthday' led by Adam, Flack quickly blew out the few, but representative, candles on the cake and did the honors of cutting slices for everyone. Lindsay was chatting with Stella and Mona while they ate cake. Flack was standing off to the side when Adam approached him.

"Dude, your mom makes great cake."

"Thanks man."

"Happy birthday, by the way."

"Thanks."

"Lindsay… did Lindsay get you anything…ya know…for your birthday?" Adam was trying to be sly, but was failing miserably.

Flack turned to give him a questioning eye. "Got a question, Adam?"

"No, no… no. I was just askin' if you got anything good for your birthday." Flack gave him a sly grin.

"Uhuh. Well, I'll let you know." He patted him on the shoulder and went over to the table where he mother was sitting. Kissing Mona on the crown of her head, he took a seat next to her.

Adam scolded himself silently. _Not smooth. Not smooth at all._

As the techs and others started to wander out having finished their cake, the small group remaining in the cafeteria pulled chairs up to sit with birthday-boy and his mom.

"So, Lindsay, what was that good news you had for me?" Mac turned to Lindsay as he set down his empty plate.

"Well," she gave a big smile and looked around to her friends before settling her gaze on Mac. "the doctor said that I'm cleared to work part-time!" She nearly said it with a squeal.

There was a noisy response of congratulations from her friends. Mac broke through the crowd. "Part-time?"

Lindsay cleared her throat. "yeah, I mean. He said start slow….like 10 hours a week and work my way up. I'm not cleared for field work yet, just the lab. But—hey…" she gave him a genuine smile, " that's better than nothing."

He nodded and leaned down to give her a hug. "Welcome back." Just then, Mac's cell phone began to ring. Stepping out to answer the phone, he called over his shoulder. "Call me tomorrow and we'll set it up." She nodded and turned back to her friends.

Before long, Adam was called away by an angry lab tech who needed assistance with the backlog of fingerprints. He tried to appease her with a spare piece of cake. Hawkes shortly followed to check on the printout of the test samples he'd been running. Stella and Danny were pulled away by Mac for a fresh scene with Detective Angell a few minutes later.

Left by themselves, Don, his mother, and Lindsay cleaned up the trash in the cafeteria. While they were reminiscing about Don's birthdays as a child, Hawkes returned to tell Don that the results were inconclusive. He promised to page if he got anything else.

"I'm off. I trust you'll get this young lady home, Donald?" Mona squeezed his arm and leaned up to kiss his cheek. She reached up with her other hand to pinch his other cheek. "Just a little birthday pinch." She smiled and then released him. Turning, she gave Lindsay a gentle hug. "Don't be a stranger." She gave her a wink and collected her things to leave.

Watching her go, Don came to stand beside Lindsay. "You're just full of surprises today."

Looking up to him, she grinned slyly. "You have no idea."

He shook his head. "Alright, mystery woman. Ready to head home?" She nodded.

They walked toward the elevator, careful not to appear too 'close' to one another. Once inside the elevator, Lindsay turned to Flack. "Guess what other restrictions the doctor lifted?" She smiled and watched as he blushed.

"You couldn't wait until we got home to tell me?"

"Call it a test of patience." She heard him utter a low guttural sound that sounded something akin to a growl.

--

_NEXT TIME:_

_Two and a half months of recovery…one fight …all leading up to a very close call._


	17. Chapter 17

Disclaimer: Not mine

Disclaimer: Not mine. Not pretending like they're mine. Just borrowing.

A/N: This is officially rated M now. All ye with sensitive eyes beware. All you fluffer-smutters…it's your lucky day!

I know it's been a while… Here's a reward for your _patience_… (like that play on the end of the last chapter? Haha I know. Funny, right? Or maybe just irritating. Either way—here it is!)

--

**Chapter 17:**

_He shook his head. "Alright, mystery woman. Ready to head home?" She nodded._

_They walked toward the elevator, careful not to appear too 'close' to one another. Once inside the elevator, Lindsay turned to Flack. "Guess what other restrictions the doctor lifted?" She smiled and watched as he blushed._

"_You couldn't wait until we got home to tell me?"_

"_Call it a test of patience." She heard him utter a low guttural sound that sounded something akin to a growl._

During the car ride home, Don Flack stole glances at Lindsay Monroe every chance he could get. Her attention was focused on the scenery they passed, but he could see her crack a smile each time she realized he was looking at her.

"So, since when do you bake with my mother?" He chuckled.

Lindsay turned to look at Don. She smiled as she spoke. "Since when do you talk to your mother about me?"

He looked over at her sheepishly and she knew she had him. "She's known your name for a while. Let's just leave it there." She reached over and took hold of his free hand hovering on the radio dial. She squeezed it tenderly. He brought her hand to his mouth and gently kissed it.

"I really like your mom. Very sharp. Kind. And somehow, even with living with all you men, I think she had you all under her thumb."

"Never was a truer statement. She likes you, you know." Lindsay felt heat rise in her cheeks. "She was made at me for not having her over earlier to hang out with you. Be ready for more visits."

Lindsay chuckled and moved to unbuckle her seatbelt as she saw Don approach his parking spot. Don hopped out of the car and came around the side to help Lindsay with the door, but she'd already gotten it open and was halfway out of the car. She was truly making spectacular progress in her recovery.

"Thanks" she said as she reached for his waiting arm. He handed her the cane and they headed into the building.

Flack was fidgeting in the elevator and Lindsay gave him a strange look. "You alright?"

"What?" He shook his head as if clearing his mind. "Yeah, yeah. I'm fine." Entering the apartment, he helped Lindsay with her jacket, and then turned to lock the apartment door. Lindsay had already made her way into the kitchen.

He paused before following her. She said her restrictions had been lifted, but was she joking or was she serious? Did she even want to? I mean, they'd shared kisses and all, but he didn't want to misread the situation. His train of thought was interrupted by her voice asking whether he wanted to order in some food or go out somewhere.

Walking into the kitchen, he was loosening his tie as he found her leaning against the counter parsing through a stack of take-out menus. Coming to stand behind her, he supported himself with one hand on the counter on either side of her. Kissing her head and speaking into her hair, he said, "I was serious about just wanting you for dinner."

She laughed and turned around to face him. Their bodies were in very close proximity to one another. "Oh really?"

"My mother always told me that you get what you want on your birthday?"

"Did she now?" Lindsay was smirking at him.

He nodded and winked at her. "I'm thinking thai food." He grabbed the menu for Thai Palace from the counter behind her and started looking through it. "What do you think about yellow curry?"

Lindsay could see that Flack was nervous about the things he'd said to her. He was being the ultimate gentleman. Staying true to his word, Flack hadn't rushed her. She pulled the menu from his hands and purposefully set it on the counter. Turning back to meet his waiting gaze, she put her hands on his chest and adjusted her stance. "I think it can wait."

Taking a step closer to her, he lowered his lips to her forehead. "I wasn't tryin' to .."

"You're not."

"And I don't want you to think…"

"I know."

"Why do I have such a hard time sayin' this to you?"

She smirked at him and grabbed a fistful of his shirt to draw his face to hers. "Because I make you nervous, Detective." With that, his lips met hers in a kiss that was tender, yet blazed with a new found fire.

After several minutes of very passionate kissing, Don felt himself beginning to lose some control. He pulled his lips reluctantly from hers and felt her lips travel down to his neck. Gripping the countertops behind her, he struggled to form words while her lips did wonderful things to his neck. "Lindsay…"

"Hmmm?"

He stood and moved his hands to her face. Cupping both sides of her face, he leaned down to kiss her. It was full of meaning and it changed the pace of their contact. He moved back to look her in the eyes and saw his passion reflected in her own. He took her hands in his and led her as he backed out of the kitchen.

He was moving toward the couch and Lindsay tugged him back to her. This time she took his hands and led him toward the bedroom. Just after they passed over the threshold into his bedroom, Lindsay felt Flack stop. Turning to face him, she gave him a quizzical look when she saw the look of concern on his face.

"What's wrong?" She came to stand in front of him. Their hands intertwined between them.

He looked at the floor before meeting her eyes. "Are you sure?"

She nodded and gave him a small smile. He thought he noticed her blush. "Yes. I am. The doctor said I'm fine and just to take things slow." She took a step closer to him and he wrapped his arms around her. "So, as long as we take it slow… I'm cleared." The concerned look on his face didn't change even with her explanation.

He cleared his throat. His blue eyes met her brown ones. "I mean. Are you sure that you want this? 'Cause we can wait. Or if this isn't what you want…"

She put a finger to his lips to cut him off. Maintaining their eye contact, she spoke softly. "I want to be with you. Now, preferably, but if you want to wait, we can wait." She paused and felt a tremor in her throat. "I care for you Don… a lot." With her admission, Don leaned down swiftly and kissed her passionately.

Lindsay broke the kiss long enough to move them closer to the bed. She felt Don's hands playing with the hem of her shirt. Turning to face him, her hands went to the buttons of his shirt. She unbuttoned them as quickly as she could and pulled the shirt from his waist band. Once she had removed his outer shirt, she pulled at his t-shirt. Don pulled the t-shirt over his head and then reached to unbutton Lindsay's shirt. She was making the process difficult, because her slender fingers were tracing the waistband of his pants.

Pulling her shirt open the rest of the way, he heard a few buttons pop off the shirt in the process. Lindsay grinned. "A little eager?"

"Oops." Don grinned and helped her remove the shirt. He had moved to help her sit on the bed so he could take off her shoes. Looking up from her as he crouched near her feet, he chuckled. "The doctor didn't say that this part had to be slow did he?" Lindsay shook her head and he saw a look in Lindsay's eyes that he had only seen a few times. He crawled between her legs and their lips met again.

Lindsay quickly removed Don's belt and had his pants undone, before he'd even really realized what she was doing. Tossing his shoes and socks and climbing on the bed next to her, he quickly made work of her jeans.

He leaned on one arm next to her while his right hand trailed lazily across her milky white skin. She was still very thin, but she'd gained some weight since the last time he'd seen her like this. She had forgone the bandage on her, now, mostly-healed wound. The stitches had been long since removed, but the wound was still tender. He gently traced a circle around the outside of the wound and he felt Lindsay shiver involuntarily. Looking up to meet her gaze, he watched her as he leaned down to kiss her abdomen.

He felt her hands on his shoulder urging him upward. The kisses were languid at first. But the proximity of her body to his and the lack of clothing, quickly escalated the situation. Don was careful not to lean on her too much for fear of hurting her, but he couldn't resist the urge to touch her. Her hands were roaming his body and had been tracing his abs for the last few moments. Don's attention turned to her neck and as he trailed kisses down her neck into the hollow of her collarbone, his hands moved behind her to the clasp of her bra.

Looking up to her for some indication of whether she wanted him to stop, she grinned at him and leaned up a little to give him better access. After removing the offending garment, he turned his attention to her chest. Her fingernails were raking across his back, but that served as little distraction. He'd spent a number of nights since their first kiss thinking about doing these very things to Lindsay and now that he was in the moment—it was better than he expected it to be. He found her skin to be soft and warm. Lindsay apparently approved of his touches since he heard her moan when his lips sucked gently on the underside of her breast. This only urged him on.

Lindsay found herself in a haze. Flack's lips and hands were doing amazing things to her body. After all the physical pain that she'd experienced in the last two months, she smiled as she thought about what a lovely effect endorphins have. She reached her hands down and found the waistband of Don's boxer shorts. Tucking two fingers underneath the sides, she snapped them gently. Don stopped his ministrations of her breasts and laughed. "Oh, so, that's how you're going to play this?" He put one leg in between her two and braced himself with his forearms on either side of her torso.

She sucked in a breath at the new positioning. Lindsay felt a familiar twinge in her abdomen. Lindsay reached up and pulled Don to her. "You won't hurt me." She kissed him fiercely. He returned the kiss with equal fire.

Pulling back quickly, he brushed an errant lock of hair from her face. "Promise to tell me if I do?" She nodded. He leaned back down and captured her lips in a searing kiss. Lindsay's hands returned to their previous efforts to divest him of his boxer shorts. He reached down and helped her remove them. Lindsay shivered when his body moved away from hers momentarily. Pulling down the covers, they climbed underneath the sheet together and Flack resumed his position over her. Kissing his way down her neck to her check to her abdomen, Don again felt her shiver when he stopped at her abdomen and took gentle hold of her panties. He knew this shiver was for a different reason.

Moving back up her body, Don paused before kissing her again—taking time to meet her eyes. She smiled at him and he smiled back at her.

"You okay?"

"Great." She giggled. "Except for all this teasing…."

"Oh, what, Ms. Monroe doesn't like a little teasing?"

"I'm impatient."

"That makes two of us." Don smiled and leaned in to kiss her again. He felt her move her legs and he readjusted to settle between them. Giving Don a knowing look, Lindsay felt Don move to press against her. She gasped when she felt him begin to make love to her. Don paused slightly, but Lindsay twisted her hips slightly to urge him on.

The two moved slowly and deliberately together…careful of Lindsay's injuries. But it wasn't long before neither one could help but give in to the feelings that their connection was eliciting. Lindsay held onto Don as she felt the familiar energy building. Don began to whisper in her ear, and that was nearly all it took. She felt the wave crash in and she loosened her grip on Don. She was trying to recover when she felt him begin to speed up and she knew that he was close.

She began to suck lightly on his earlobe. A secret spot she'd discovered during a particularly hot and heavy make-out session on the couch the week before. He moaned deeply at the contact. Keeping her lips on his ear, she whispered to him. That was what pushed Don over the edge. Collapsing against her, he laid his head in the crook of her neck. Giving her a couple of quick kisses, he settled in beside her and she turned to face him on her side as well.

He pulled her flush to his body and reached up to brush her hair from her face. "That's a smile I'd like to see more of."

She only smiled bigger. "You put it there."

He chuckled. "Oh, I know."

Swatting his arm lightly, she leaned up to kiss him. "Modest aren't we."

Cupping her face, he gave her a serious look. "This was amazing." He leaned in to kiss her.

"Did you have a good birthday?" Lindsay snuggled into Don's side and let her eyes close lightly.

"The best." Kissing the top of her head, he let her settle onto his chest with his arm around her. He lay there caressing her arm as he watched her fall asleep. Soon after, he felt his own eyes begin to close.

--

_NEXT TIME:_

_Danny just doesn't get it…_


	18. Chapter 18

Disclaimer: Not mine

Disclaimer: Not mine. Not pretending like they're mine. Just borrowing.

Here I was just perusing some of the new CSI: NY stories and I came across the post about the CSI: NY Fanfiction awards. I go take a gander at the categories and low and behold hockeymom has nominated _Lean On Me_!! (blushing profusely) THANK YOU!!

I'm all aflutter. And also feeling the energy to post again within 24 hours. Enjoy!

--

**Chapter 18:**

_Meanwhile, back at the lab…_

Danny was walking through the halls of the crime lab reading through the report he'd just received from Kendall when he nearly ran into Adam. "Whoa… Sorry man. Need to watch where I'm goin'."

"No problem." Adam made quick eye contact and then passed by Danny. Danny looked after the young lab tech wondering why Adam was acting so strangely around him.

"Ehhhh." Slamming the folder closed, Danny turned on his heel and followed Adam into the trace lab. Pausing in the doorway, he waited for Adam to acknowledge him.

Adam finally looked up and then turned back to his work while speaking to Danny. "Need something, Danny?"

"Just makin' my rounds." He took a step forward into the lab and threw his folder down on the work table. "I wanted to apologize for what happened at the bar. Didn't mean to be an ass. I know it doesn't quite make up for it."

Adam waived him off and gave him an incredulous look. "Don't worry man. We're cool." He walked over and held his hand out for a fist bump with Danny, who returned it immediately.

"Good." He paused and then noticed something on the computer screen behind Adam's head. "Is that from the case that Flack and Hawkes caught?"

"Yup. Trying to figure out…" And then Adam turned around when he heard the door to the lab close. He saw the silhouette of Danny racing down the hallway toward Hawkes's office. "…what it is. Huh. He's a weird dude sometimes." Adam turned back to his computer.

--

"Hawkes!" Danny burst through the door to find Hawkes hunched over a table strewn with papers. He was rubbing his nose. He turned to Danny and replaced his glasses.

"Where's the fire, man?"

"I think our cases are connected. That goo that you and Adam analyzed. It was at our scene too. I think my dead guy is your perp." He handed the file over to Hawkes. He paced the room silently for a few minutes allowing Hawkes to look over the file folder.

Hawkes finally looked up. "I feel like you just walked up to my jigsaw puzzle and put in the final piece. I'm thrilled, but I kind of hate you at the same time." Hawkes smiled and patted Danny on the back. "Let's show Mac and get these cases closed."

"Should we call Don in?"

Without thinking, Hawkes answered. "Nah, it's his birthday, and I don't want to risk waking up Linds. She was exhausted when I saw her earlier…I doubt that's changed since it's nearly 10pm."

"Wake Linds?" Danny looked to Hawkes with a perplexed look.

Hawkes secretly cursed himself. Had to open his big mouth. "Uh, yeah. She's been staying at Flack's since she got out of the hospital." Hawkes was waiting for Danny to explode, or to at least throw the file folder or stomp off. Especially after the scene at the bar a few weeks ago.

Danny just nodded. Hawkes was thrown. He felt the need to explain further. "She's got the walk-up and the doc said no stairs. Since Don's the only one with a spare room and an elevator, he volunteered."

"He's a good friend." Danny pursed his lips and they continued walking to Mac's office. Danny's mind was racing. He had an elevator and a spare bed. Maybe if he hadn't been such an ass to Lindsay she'd have been staying with him. Maybe if he'd stuck around, she'd be asleep in his apartment now instead of Don's.

Hawkes and Adam reached Mac's office and after about twenty minutes of discussion Mac gave them the all clear to close their files and submit their reports. "Send Flack a page and let him know that the case is closed. He was supposed to have today off, so I'm sure he'll be taking tomorrow instead." Mac gave the signal that he was done talking by turning back to the stack of files on his desk and taking a seat at his computer.

Danny and Hawkes nodded and exited Mac's office. "I'll let him know." Danny said as he tapped Hawkes on the back with his file. Danny headed off toward the locker room file in hand.

--

Flack tried to sleep. His eyes closed and he felt content laying next to Lindsay. He wanted to fall asleep next to her, but he was too relaxed, as strange as it sounded. The feeling of Lindsay curled into his side was so wonderful that he didn't want to miss it. So, instead, he spent the better part of an hour watching her sleep. He didn't notice that her breathing had changed ever so slightly.

With eyes closed and remaining in the same position, she spoke softly. "You know, some people might find that sort of creepy."

"What's that?" He turned to plant a light kiss on her forehead.

"Watching me sleep."

"How'd you even know I was awake?"

"No light snoring." She giggled and opened her eyes to look up at him.

"Ha ha. Very funny Monroe." Their lips met in the middle and they enjoyed a lazy kiss. Just then Lindsay gasped and clutched her side. Her brow was furrowed and she leaned away from him.

"Lindsay?" Flack turned to his side and brushed the hair from her face. He was trying to assess where the pain was coming from. "What's wrong?"

She released a slow breath. "Just a cramp. The nerves reconnecting and all that." She opened her eyes to find a worried Flack hovering over her. "I'm okay."

"I know how good that feels. What can I do to make it better?"

She gave him a smirk and leaned up for another kiss. Her hand was still gently rubbing her abdomen.

"I know what I can do to make it better. Be back in 15." With that Flack kissed her again and hopped out of bed. He quickly threw on sweats and a hoodie and walked out of the bedroom door.

"Where are you going?" She laughed as she called after him, but she got no answer.

Lindsay lay back against the bed and stared at the ceiling. She smiled to herself and pulled the covers up under her chin. The night had been amazing. Flack was amazing. She was extremely lucky. And her stomach fluttered again. In the good way.

--

Danny wasn't sure what he was doing standing outside of the apartment door. He could have simply sent Don a text message, but for some reason he needed to be there and to let Don know in person. Or maybe it was because he just needed to see Lindsay. To see if what he suspected was true. Maybe to prove to himself that he was just making it all up in his head. Either way it was 10:45 pm and he was standing in front of Don Flack's apartment door.

Raising his fist to knock, he paused, but then gave a firm knock on the door. He was surprised when he heard Lindsay's voice through the door. "Just a sec…"

The door swung open and Lindsay was smiling when she opened the door. "That was really …" She trailed off when she saw who was standing before her. "… quick. Danny. Hey. Don's not here."

He took in her appearance. She was wearing what appeared to be one of Flack's long sleeve t-shirts and a pair of pajama shorts. Her hair was tousled and her cheeks were flush. His chest tightened uncontrollably. "Yeah. Um. Okay." He ran one hand through his hair.

She noticed his tense stance. "You want to come in? He should be right back."

Danny gave her a surprised look. "Umm… sure." She opened the door more and allowed him to step inside. She disappeared into what he knew to be Flack's bedroom and returned wearing a robe. She sat in the armchair across from Danny's place on the couch.

"Sorry to come by this late, Lindsay. I hope I didn't wake you."

"No, no. It's okay. Don just stepped out for a second. We were both still awake." She cleared her throat and felt her eyes wander the room. When her eyes landed on Danny again, she realized that he looked just as nervous. Or maybe it was awkward.

"Before Don gets back. Linds, I just… I wanted to say that I'm an idiot." She looked up to meet his eyes. "I'm really sorry. You got shot, and I was there watchin' you bleed out." Lindsay's eyes fell to her lap. She felt tears burning her eyes. "God, I watched you die in the back of that bus, Montana." When he said her nickname, her head jerked up. Her gaze hardened and she felt the burning sensation leave her eyes.

"I don't know what happened, but I had to go. I know that's no excuse. I just… We finally got somewhere and I run on you when you need me." She could hear the tremor in his voice. Clearly this was difficult for him. "Can we…do you think we can make it back to where we were?" He looked up and she saw the unshed tears in his eyes.

She couldn't help but purse her lips. Her jaw tightened. She wanted to forgive him. She just couldn't. "Where we were?"

"Yeah. I mean. Is there a chance for us?" He paused and released a slow breath. "I want to make it up to you. I miss you Montana. I miss talking to you, spending time with you, _being _with you. I know I have a lot of making up to do, I just, I had to ask. See if we could try…"

"Where _were_ we, Danny?" She paused and looked at him.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, where exactly do you think we were? Because what I remember is that three months ago, we slept together. It was one time and we were trashed on tequila." Meeting her eyes, he could see that she was serious. Her voice trembled as she poke next and he could see her chin quiver. Tears filled her eyes. "And then I was held hostage. I was beaten and shot, and I almost died." She stood from the armchair. "And that… **that** is when my so-called best friend—my _partner_—abandoned me." Her words were filled with venom. She was shaking, and Danny could barely meet her eyes. Tears silently fell down his cheeks. "Two months later you reappear, but say nothing. Then you _hit_ Don and you say horrible things about me." He raised his head to protest, but saw a defiant look in her eyes. "No, don't deny it. I heard what you said. If leaving me in the ICU wasn't bad enough, saying those horrible and hurtful things was." She took a deep breath and continued on. "And now you come here asking for a _chance?_"

She paused and just looked at him. He shook his head and stood. "I'm sorry, I should go."

Just then, the door opened and both turned to see Don Flack saunter in with a bag in one hand, his wallet in his mouth, and his keys in the other. He gave the tense pair a perplexed look and immediately furrowed his brow when he saw Lindsay's eyes. He tossed his keys on the table, set down the bag, and removed the wallet from his mouth.

"What's going on?" He moved over to stand next to Lindsay.

"Nothing, man. I was just leavin'. Hawkes and I closed the cases, so Mac said you're good for a day off tomorrow." Danny headed toward the door with his eyes focused on the floor. He reached the door and let himself out without a second glance.

Don immediately stepped in front of Lindsay and put his hands on her arms. He tried to get her to meet his eyes and had to use his fingertips to tip her chin upward before he could get the contact he wanted. "Hey, …hey. What happened?"

She stepped forward into his arms and immediately released the breath she'd been holding. Kissing his chest, she snuggled as close to him as she could. She felt him gently rub her back and run his fingers through her hair.

"Danny was just trying to apologize."

"Oh?"

"He wants things to go back to normal."

"Oh." Don took a step back, releasing his hold on Lindsay. She looked up at him and brought her hands to his face. He looked…worried. This time, she forced him to meet her eyes.

"Don't give me puppy eyes, please. Don't be worried."

He released a deep breath, and moved to sit them on the couch. Lindsay curled up next to him and returned her hand to his face. Turning his face to hers, she kissed him gently on the lips. Flack pulled back and met her eyes before kissing her lightly on the nose. "I'm not worried."

"Liar." She paused and smiled at him. "Do you remember what I told you before? …We're both single. We're both adults. There's no one stopping us, but us. I meant it."

Flack gave her a nervous smile. "It's just that I saw him here and you looked upset. We had such a good night…."

"We are having a _great_ night." She gave him a big smile that he returned. Sighing she continued on. "Danny has a lot to apologize for these days. But he's going to have to figure out how to make it right on his own. I can't just forgive him. He was my partner. I trusted him to back me up and when I needed that most, he left."

Flack saw the sadness in her eyes when she spoke about her disappointment. And he realized, it wasn't the look of a lost love—it was the look of a disappointed friend.

"And that's why I looked upset. Because he thinks that a little 'I'm sorry' is going to make up for punching you, saying horrible things about us,… it just can't."

He leaned in to kiss her and he tried to pour his understanding and support into it. After several moments, they parted—breathless. "I know what you mean. I just … you guys always had this thing. Ya know? And I just, I really, really like what we got goin' here. I care for you. I don't want anything to get in the way."

She smiled and she felt warm tears uncontrollably roll down her cheeks. "I like what we got goin' here, too." He pulled her close to him and kissed the tears from her cheeks. She kissed his jawline and whispered in his ear. "What did you bring me?"

"Ohhhhhhhhh… all about Ms. Monroe." He began to tickle her under her arms. Pulling back, they immediately had the light-hearted evening back. She giggled and begged him to stop. After pinning her on the couch, he heard her cry 'uncle' and he stopped. Leaning over her, he kissed her gently on the lips. "Chunky Monkey or Chubby Hubby?"

"Monkey, please." He stood and helped her sit up before retrieving the bag from the entry table. He handed her a pint, a spoon and threw the blanket over the two of them before settling back against the couch with Lindsay tucked into his side. He turned on the tv and found a Chris Farley moving playing on Comedy Central. Lindsay was holding a spoonful of Chunky Monkey in front of him and he let her feed him a bite. She took a bite herself and smiled up at him. He was exactly where he wanted to be.

"Stay with me."

--

_NEXT TIME:_

_Lindsay returns to work._


	19. Chapter 19

Disclaimer: Not mine. Not pretending like they're mine. Just borrowing.

This one is for Distractedlyhere. Thanks for the PM… Sorry it's a little late!

If you like it… please consider voting for my little story over on the forums for best FM fic. EEE!! Very exciting.

--

**Chapter 19:**

"Have you still been having the dreams?"

Lindsay looked up from her hands that were busy incessantly kneading the edge of her shirt. "Just sometimes. Not every night." She paused and released a breath. Her hands shifted to grip the arms of the chair gently.

"Sometimes?"

Lindsay looked at the departmental therapist. She was really just trying to help. Lindsay knew that. She'd been through this before. But frankly, she didn't want to talk about it. Not about how the nightmares had become fewer and further between, but had become more vivid. More real. More like memories, rather than dreams. But she also knew it was necessary if she ever wanted to get back out in the field.

"I've been keeping the dream log like you suggested." She returned to playing with the hem of her shirt. "They're only coming about two times a week." Lindsay met the therapist's eyes again. "They're more real now. More like I'm remembering what happened and watching it unfold in my mind."

"Are you taking the medication I prescribed to help you relax?"

"The sleeping pills?" Lindsay shook her head. "No. Usually I'm exhausted by the end of the day—physical therapy and now with my shift in the lab. Don't really need them."

Lindsay paused and looked to the therapist. The woman was writing something down in her notes. Lindsay took the opportunity to spy the time on the clock above the door. Only 4 more minutes before she could leave. Three more sessions before a report on active field duty. That meant a total of 190 more minutes…

"Lindsay?"

Lindsay was snapped out of her reverie. "Yes?"

"I asked if you were still staying with Detective Flack."

Just as Lindsay was ready to answer, there was a knock at the door. The therapist excused herself and rose to answer the door. She spoke quietly to the person on the other side of the door and then closed it gently. Looking above the door she noted the time was nearly complete. Turning around, Lindsay was pulling her jacket over her shoulders.

"I guess we'll save that for next time." She gave Lindsay a warm smile and reached out to shake her hand. "See you next week."

Lindsay smiled back and let herself out of the office.

--

"You seen Lindsay today?" Flack asked from the doorway of the trace lab. Stella was leaning over a microscope.

"She was here, but she left for her appointment about an hour and a half ago. Said she was coming back afterward." Stella looked up from the microscope. Flack asking about Lindsay's whereabouts had become a daily habit now that Lindsay had been restricted to the lab for the last two weeks of work.

"Thanks Stel."

Flack stepped back from the doorway and headed for the break room to grab a cup of coffee. He felt a pair of eyes on him as he walked through the transparent corridors and he knew exactly who it was. Danny had avoided him since the night he had walked in on his conversation with Lindsay. From what Lindsay had told him, Danny had resorted to professional niceties when she was at the lab. That included calling her Monroe instead of 'Montana.' That alone signaled a change in Danny for Flack. One he was glad to see.

Flack refused to turn around and instead busied himself with the task of pouring a cup of coffee into a paper cup. Leaning against the counter, he became so lost in thought that he didn't hear her enter the room.

"Detective." He could hear the smile in her voice.

"Ms. Monroe." He gave her a small smile back. Gesturing toward the coffee pot, he questioned with his eyes. "You want?"

She shrugged and nodded. Flack turned and began to fix a cup for her. Light cream, 1 splenda. Handing her the cup, their fingers touched briefly and both felt the effect. Taking a seat at the table, the two settled in front of their steaming cups.

"So, how'd it go?" He took a sip and met her eyes.

"Okay. Same as usual." She sighed and traced the design on the paper cup sitting in front of her with her fingertips. She focused on the cup. "I just feel like if I say the wrong thing or don't say the right thing, she'll keep me in the lab forever. And if I'm not crazy now, that will be enough to do it."

Flack laughed lightly. "You'll get back out there. It's frustratin', but it's what you got to do." He waited for her to look up.

Their eyes met and Lindsay gave him a small smile. "You're right. I just need to be patient." She took a sip of her coffee.

"How long are you on tonight?"

"I told Mac I'd stay until 9:00 p.m. since I left in the middle of shift. He insisted it wasn't necessary, but I don't want to leave things unfinished. Unless Adam finished it while I was gone…which he's been known to do lately."

"What me to break his legs?" Lindsay laughed and nearly snorted coffee out of her nose.

"No, no, I think I got it." Flack smiled at her.

"I've got to wait on some results and get a couple of lineups together. Can I pick you up at 9:00?"

She nodded and smiled. "Sounds good." She looked around and then casually snuck her hand across the table to his and squeezed it quickly before releasing it again. She stood and turned from the room, sneaking a quick glance before heading off to the layout room.

Flack was still smiling when Mac walked into the break room.

"Now that's an unusual sight."

"What's that?" Flack cleared his throat and leaned back in his chair.

"A detective smiling and it's not the end of his shift." Mac chuckled at his own joke and moved to pour himself a cup of coffee.

"You're a regular comedian, Mac."

Mac moved to sit across from Flack. "This smiling incident. It wouldn't have anything to do with a certain CSI would it."

"Nah. Don't know what you'd be referrin' to, Mac." Flack straightened his face as best he could.

"Uhuh." Mac rose the cup to his lips. Swallowing the hot liquid, he paused before continuing. "She's a good CSI. And she's a good person."

"If you're heading down the path of the 'big brother' threat, here, Mac… I read you loud and clear."

Mac just nodded and stood from his seat. He slapped Don on the back and walked out of the breakroom. "Good."

--

Don Flack finished up his work and found himself wandering back to the crime lab just after 8:15 that evening. He knew he was early, but he was hopeful that Lindsay would be ready to head home anyway. As he wandered the hallways, he didn't see anyone in layout room or the trace lab. Adam was "reading" a magazine in the DNA lab, but Flack could hear his snores from the hallway even with the door closed.

Approaching the offices, he saw Lindsay perched over her computer in her office. Danny was no where to be found and Flack felt relieved. The three of them had not been in a room together since that night in the apartment. Lindsay was smiling and had her hand on the mouse. She was so engrossed that she didn't hear Flack enter the room.

"Hard at work or hardly workin'?"

Turning in her chair, Lindsay gave him a slow smile. "The latter. I'm glad you're here." With that Flack smiled.

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah, I've been done for over an hour."

"Adam?"

"Yes." She rolled her eyes and turned back to her computer.

"What were you smilin' about when I walked up?"

"Just an email from my college roommate. She was responding to the description I sent her of you. She's a funny girl."

"A description huh?" She knew he'd ask. She closed the windows on her computer and began to gather her things.

"She was curious."

"Uhuh. What'd you say?" Flack was wearing the infamous cheshire grin.

Lindsay stood and turned to face Flack. In the midst of the office, they couldn't come nearer to one another than they were standing—within arms reach, but no closer. She smiled at him.

"Do you ever get bored asking questions?" She nearly whispered it to him.

"Do you ever get bored evading my questions?" His voice dropped to the same level as hers.

She felt heat rise to her cheeks. She smiled and stepped slightly closer to him. "Just because you're not patient…doesn't mean I'm evading." Their eyes met and Flack grinned at her.

_Flashback…_

"_Stay with me."_

_Lindsay looked up with wide eyes, her spoon full of Chunky Monkey lingering in her mouth. "Hmm?"_

"_I mean. Stay here."_

_Swallowing her mouthful of ice cream, Lindsay cleared her throat and sat up a little straighter next to Flack. "I wasn't planning on skipping out after ice cream."_

"_That's not what I mean." Flack brushed the hair away from her face and cupped her cheek. Leaning in, he kissed her gently on the lips._

"_I know." She kissed him gently on the chin._

"_Just think about it." He kissed her forehead and then fed her a spoonful of chubby hubby._

"I told her you were tall, dark, and handsome." Lindsay grinned and saw a light blush creep into Flack's cheeks. "And that you had these crazy blue eyes." She felt herself falling into the blue orbs as she spoke. She took a deep breath and the pair turned to walk out of the lab.

Walking out of the lab and riding the elevator down to the garage, the two remained in a comfortable silence. Lindsay stole a glance at Flack as they settled into the truck to head back to his apartment. Reaching over, she took hold of the hand he had on the ignition. "I also told her that I am really happy and that it's because of you. That I'm sane and healthy because you've been here day in and day out." He leaned his head back against the seat and waited for her to continue. His thumb was making soft circular patterns on the back of her hand.

She looked down and then met his eyes again. "I told her that I was thinking of staying with you." His eyes lit up and she smiled in response.

He leaned over and captured her lips in a passionate kiss. Their foreheads pressed together, Flack spoke in a whisper to her. "Thinking, huh?"

She smiled and nodded. "Yup."

He smiled back at her, "good." He leaned in and captured her lips again. The kiss soon turned passionate and both were out of breath when they parted. Flack gave her a quick kiss on the nose and then settled back in the seat to navigate the car out of the garage. Lindsay settled back in her seat, her hand tracing shapes on his forearm.

"Oh, and I told her that …" and she leaned up to whisper in his ear.

"Who knew you were such a tease, Monroe…" He winked at her as she settled back in her seat.

_Next time:_

_Lindsay is feeling better._


	20. Chapter 20

Disclaimer: Not mine. Not pretending like they're mine. Just borrowing.

First, thanks to all of you who have sent messages about this story! And double thanks to those who voted to make this the favorite FM Radio story in the fanfic awards!! (I'm humbled by your responses and support).

Secondly, I'm sorry for the long delay in the next installment. Sometimes life gets the best of us. But I'm back and hopefully you'll find some satisfaction in the next few chapters.

Additional Note: I intended to post this on 7/8, but my internet went down. So, I'm posting now and I know that it's not the longest chapter on the planet, but I had to do some transitioning.

xoxo

* * *

**Chapter 20:**

It was summer. The city was swollen with the heat. Locals and tourists alike crowded the parks and sidewalks seeking relief in the open air. The days grew longer, as did Detective Don Flack's shifts. Summer in the city was a dangerous time.

At 9:30 in the morning, Flack was already sweating through his suit. It was the same suit he'd been wearing for the last 17 hours. He'd been called in on his day off, initially, for a smash and grab at a jewelry store, which turned into a domestic, and then to a quadruple homicide during the morning rush hour.

Tossing his jacket in the passenger seat of the car, Flack headed over to the throng of patrol officers on the sidewalk. He rolled up his sleeves as he walked and mopped the sweat from his forehead with his forearm. One of the patrol officers handed him a bottle of water. After a long swig, Flack handed out assignments and sent the men on their way.

He turned slowly to survive the block radius that had been cordoned off with crime scene tape. Peyton had long since arrived and departed with the bodies. It was all hands on deck. The only hand that Flack hadn't expected to see was one Lindsay Monroe—standing over a pool of blood with a camera in hand.

Looking around, he headed straight for her – his long strides taking him to her side in a matter of moments. "Mac know you're out here?"

Lindsay didn't move and continued taking pictures of the blood pools. Her eyes still focused on the view finder of the digital camera, she spoke. "It's all hands on deck." She stood straighter and turned toward him, holding the camera as it hung from the strap around her neck. She gave him a challenging look that was paired with a smirk.

"It's hot as hell out here." He paused when she just returned his stare. "You sure you feel up to this?"

She tilted her head to one side and the smirk on her face tightened. "For now. Mac's only letting me take general scene photos. I'm not even allowed to log anything. Then it's back to the batcave."

Don nodded and sighed. "Okay…cool…just…" he paused as two patrol officers passed within earshot. Looking at her earnestly, his eyes met hers. "Just be careful, okay?" With that, he handed her the bottle of water.

She smiled, taking the bottle of cool water from his hand. "Done." Then she silently mouthed, "see you at home." He winked at her in return and gave her a small smile, which he washed from his face the moment he turned his back to her to return to his car and the waiting detectives.

--

_Later…back at the lab_

Lindsay knew that some people thought that she and Flack had "jumped" into things. That they had thrown caution to the wind, said "to hell with it" and bet it all. The department therapist was one of the leaders of the "it's too fast" bandwagon. She had apparently recruited Lindsay's mother, most of the women in the crime lab, and, oh, so, shockingly, Danny.

But it hadn't been all that fast. She'd only been staying with Flack for a little over a month and a half. Yes, she'd agreed to stay, but that was it. That's all she'd agreed to. They both knew that she probably could have returned home by now, but this gave them some additional time with one another without any major questions being answered.

Her thoughts were interrupted when the computer beeped to let her know that the digital pictures had been downloaded onto the server. She was carefully organizing the downloaded pictures into files when she heard the door to her office open behind her. She knew it was Danny without turning her attention away from the computer.

She and Danny had been amicably sharing their office space. That may have been due to the fact that their shared office space had been _rearranged_ during her sick leave. Suddenly her desk was across the room from his so that they didn't have to stare at one another all day and all night. Though they denied any involvement—she knew that Adam and Hawkes had been responsible for the switch. Neither she nor Danny spoke about the change.

For the next forty or so minutes, both of them worked in silence in their respective corners. Lindsay didn't realize that she was dozing until she felt a gentle hand on her shoulder. Slightly startled, she straightened in her chair and found a smirking Danny.

"I think it's time you take a coffee break, Monroe." He stepped back and waited for her to stand before following her out of the office for the break room.

That's where Don Flack found the two of them twenty minutes later. His temper and his body temperature were on par. If a scowl could kill, then the Danny Messer should have dropped dead on the spot.

Oblivious to the stewing detective just outside the cafeteria, Lindsay and Danny continued their mundane chit chat about the case that the entire lab was involved in. Danny caught sight of Don, cleared his throat, and excused himself to check on some results Hawkes had been working on. Wisely, he chose to use the other exit for the cafeteria.

Lindsay turned and caught sight of a testy Don glaring at the retreating form of Danny. She cleared her throat and then stood from her place at the table. She walked over to the refrigerator and grabbed two bottles of water. As she walked past him in the doorway, she paused in front of his imposing frame and pushed a bottle of water into his chest. "Follow me."

Don turned without a second thought and followed Lindsay to the elevator.

Moments later, they were riding the elevator to the top floor of the building. Don continued to follow Lindsay; his temperature and temper cooled the further he got from Danny and the longer he was with Lindsay. He found himself amazed, once again, by her progress as he watched her walk up the flight of steps to the rooftop. She gripped the handrail tightly and he noticed that her movements slowed after the first few steps, but he knew that she had been working up to this for weeks.

When they reached the top, Don reached in front of him and pinched her on the butt. "Remind me always to walk behind you up the stairs." He heard her laugh.

She tried to push open the roof door and had a little trouble getting the leverage she needed after the flight of stairs. She felt Don's front press gently against her back as he reached over her head to push the door open the rest of the way. They made their way out onto the roof.

Lindsay paused and turned around. She found herself face to face with Don's chest. Looking up, she grinned and wrapped her arms around his torso. "Hi."

He chuckled lightly and released a breath. "Hi."

"You ok?"

"Had better days."

"I can imagine."

"But it's lookin' up."

Lindsay smiled. She stepped back and led him over to some crates that had been left as benches. They sat down next to one another and Don took Lindsay's hand. She examined his face. His brow was furrowed and his jaw was set. Turning on the crate, she faced him.

"Penny for your thoughts."

Flack momentarily closed his eyes, released his jaw, and turned to look at her. His deep voice was nearly a whisper. She could see, for the first time that day, the exhaustion in his eyes and the toll that the day had taken on him. "Just waitin' until I can go home and lay down next to you." He leaned over and kissed her on the temple.

She looked down at their now entwined hands. "I thought maybe you were upset with me."

He squeezed her hands. "Why'd you think that?" He tilted her chin up so that their eyes could meet.

"That look you gave when you saw Danny and I in the cafeteria." He looked at her incredulously. But before he could deny it, she responded.

"I could see your reflection in the glass." She paused.

He swallowed and lightly pursed his lips. "Sorry." He sighed and began to rub his thumb over her palm. "Gut reaction." She gave him a strange look. "Got a little jealous. Maybe. Ya know, if I got jealous." He winked at her.

"I know it's been a long day. I know he's still not your favorite person—or mine for that matter. But, I'm stuck in a glass cage all day waiting for Mac to give me the all clear. I feel like I'm on display to prove to everyone that I'm okay, and that I can deal with Danny after what happened."

"I know. It's just a stupid macho, bull-shit thing. The heat's making me crazy. Too many families to deal with today…"

Lindsay stood up and moved to sit down on Flack's lap. She wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned against his chest. She kissed his temple and then kissed down his cheek. "It's not stupid." Their foreheads met.

"Well, if I end up with you on my lap everytime I act like that…" She playfully hit him on the arm and then planted a soft kiss on his lips to cut him off.

The kiss lingered and they enjoyed the feel of one another's lips. Lindsay shivered involuntarily when a cool summer breeze wafted across the rooftop. The sun was marching down the western sky and taking the heat of the day with it.

After a moment, Flack pulled back from her slightly. "I think we've maxed out on overtime." Lindsay nodded. Flack briefly closed his eyes as he felt her fingertips delicately playing with his collar.

"Let's go home." Lindsay gave him a deep, slow kiss and then stood from his lap and held out her hand to him. Standing, he took her hand and walked with her to the stairwell. Despite the day he'd had, Flack felt as though all the weight had been lifted off his shoulders.

_Next time:_

_Adam and Lindsay get some news._


	21. Chapter 21

Disclaimer: Not mine. Not pretending like they're mine. Just borrowing.

I know it's been a while. My muse has suffered from the long days of summer. Luckily, a drop in temperatures has brought her back. ;) Enjoy.

Just to renew previous warnings—let your virgin eyes be forewarned. (I drop a few choice expletives in here…)

--

**Chapter 21:**

Don Flack entered the main area of the lab carrying a tray of coffees in his hand. After nearly two weeks of overtime, the lab and the detectives on the street shooting case had grown tired of the sludge that passed for coffee in the lab. Flack's turn to buy came around rather quickly, but he didn't mind because it meant a chance to get away from the tension filled building.

Turning the corner and heading toward Lindsay's office, Don found himself approaching a strange group. Hawkes, Stella, and Sid were standing in the hall trying very nonchalantly to look in on Mac's office. Turning his head, Flack knew why they were staring.

Adam and Lindsay were seated with their backs to the gawkers and were facing Mac and two men in black suits. Flack immediately pegged the suits for Feds. Shaking his head, he approached the small grouping.

"Don't tell me the Feds are taking our case after we did all the work?" Flack said softly as he approached the group.

Sid tried to look like he wasn't watching Mac's office and Stella faced Flack head on. Hawkes just kept watching intently.

"No, I think it's about something else." Stella continued. "Mac came in and pulled them out of the trace lab when the suits showed up."

Flack's brow furrowed. He kept focus on Mac's office as he silently handed Stella her coffee and Hawkes his cup.

He saw Adam look at Lindsay and then look at the suits. Mac's face was unreadable. His gaze was focused on his two young team members in front of him. Lindsay was talking. Then her head was shaking and she was looking down. She started to stand and Adam put his hand on her arm. She sat back down.

Flack's brow furrowed some more. Lindsay was upset. "Wonder what it's about."

Stella shook her head and moved to stand next to him. "Guess we'll just have to wait to find out." She patted him on the arm and started to move away toward the trace lab. "Thanks for the coffee."

Flack just nodded silently and watched as the group in Mac's office continued to talk. Mac noticed him standing in the hall—by himself now that the group had scattered—and gave him a knowing look. Flack gave a short nod and wandered off to the print lab to see if there were any new reports.

--

Nearly forty minutes later, Lindsay wandered back to her office to find Don Flack playing solitaire on her office computer. When she opened the door, she smiled a little, forgetting the last hour that she'd spent in Mac's office. He looked up when she walked in, but before they could greet one another, Stella and Hawke herded Adam into Lindsay's office behind Lindsay. As soon as the door closed, the pair began interrogating the duo.

Lindsay made her way over to her desk where Flack casually slid the coffee cop across the desk to her. Their fingertips met briefly as did their eyes. Flack noticed for the first time that her eyes were glistening. He went to reach for her hand and she stepped away slightly taking the coffee cup with her.

"So, what's with the suits?"

"What's the deal?"

Adam had taken a seat at Danny's empty desk and Lindsay was leaning against her own desk facing the duo. Flack could only see the profile of her face and she seemed to be avoiding his eyes now.

Adam just looked to Lindsay and then looked at his hands. Lindsay was staring intently at her feet. And then, Adam began to laugh. It was an odd sounding laugh—it actually sounded like he was choking a bit.

"Sorry. I just…I can't help it." Adam looked up and the smile that he had on his face quickly turned into a cringe. "It's just unfucking believable." He ran his hands through his hair and leaned into this arms with his elbows on the desk. He groaned into his arms. "UN-FUCKING BELIEVEABLE."

Flack was worried now and rolled the desk chair out around the edge of the desk to see Lindsay's face. Tears were streaking down her cheeks, but she made no sound. Her hands were gripping the edge of the desk and he could see white in her knuckles.

Stella and Hawkes looked at one another but said nothing. Clearly, something major had happened.

Flack reached up to touch Lindsay's hand, but she didn't meet his eyes. She cleared her throat. "It's not over." She paused and closed her eyes momentarily. Summoning strength from somewhere, she opened her eyes and met the waiting faces of her friends. "The suits are Feds. They're been tracking some communications relating to Flack's big bust….to the warehouse." She turned to face Flack. "There are a few guys left."

"Yeah, and they want to fucking kill us." Adam spoke, startling the others. His face was red and he was shaking a little. "I should have listened to my mother. I should have been a freakin' biology teacher. UGH." With that, he stood up and stormed out of the office.

Lindsay sighed and crossed her arms in front of her.

"So what does this mean?"

She met Hawkes's eyes for the first time. "I'm not sure yet. I don't think they're sure yet."

"What do you mean they're not sure?" Flack's tone was harsher than he intended. "Do they think…I mean… Are you safe?"

Lindsay shook her head. "According to them, no, we're not. They're still not sure what's going on for sure, but all they would tell us is that we were mentioned in some conversation that they intercepted."

"And they think that they could be coming after you two. You and Adam." Stella was shocked by what Lindsay was saying.

"And the two patrol officers. Because we're witnesses."

Flack was standing next to Stella by this point. "What're they doing?" Lindsay gave him a quizzical look. "What're they doin' about this? What're they doin'?"

Lindsay shook her head. She was shaking slightly. "I don't know. They're working on it. Trying to get more information. But they want us to go to safe houses while they collect more information. They want to split us up…in case…you know." She exhaled slowly and closed her eyes. Tears were falling down her cheeks again.

Before really thinking about it, Flack takes two steps forward and wraps his arms around her. Though everyone knew she was staying at Flack's, no one really knew how far their relationship had progressed in the last few weeks.

Lindsay wrapped one arm around Flack and patted her other hand on his chest. Whispering into his chest, she said, "I'm okay. I'm okay…."

Flack stepped back and flushed slightly when he saw Stella and Hawkes's rapt attention as his reaction. Clearing his throat, Flack announced that he was going to talk to Mac about the plan to keep Adam and Lindsay safe.

Once he'd exited the room, Stella stepped forward and touch Lindsay's arm. "What can we do?"

She smiled and met her friend's eyes. "Nothing. Thanks. I'm just going to work on a few more things until I get my marching orders."

"So, they're taking you into protective custody?"

"That's what they were talking about. After I argued against it and continued to argue with them, they tossed us out. It's up to Mac and the Feds."

Hawkes looked surprised. "They're going to force you to go?"

"Mac's pulling rank, you saw Adam, and the Feds say it's real. And from the look on Flack's face, he may be stashing me away in Saskatchewan if that's what it takes."

Hawkes nodded. "I'm gonna go check and see where they're at. Make sure Flack's not hitting anyone."

Stella watched Hawkes leave and then turned to Lindsay. Lindsay was staring out the door after Hawkes. Her mind was racing and Stella could see her trying to make sense of what was going on. "We're going to keep you safe. Promise." Stella gave her a tight smile and squeezed her hand before following Hawkes out of the office.

Lindsay let out a slow breath and sat down at her desk. Unbelievable.

--

Flack spent 30 minutes in Mac's office arguing with him about the best way to keep Lindsay and Adam safe. The Feds had already gone. They left after Mac got them to agree to local protection for the time being and increased protection should another threat be identified. And now Flack was trying insert his two cents on the matter.

"Look, Mac, all I'm sayin' is that there's got to be something else we can do. Why won't they give us all the info they've got. You _know_ they've got more. You know it as well as I do."

"Yeah, Flack, I know that. And for right now, this is their baby. They took our case—remember—we had a few conflicts and the Feds always cherry pick the solid cases. I don't like it, but I've already tried all the connections I've got. We're stuck."

Flack squared his jaw and put his hands on his hips.

"I'm sending Adam home with a patrol unit to get some things. He's going to decide what he wants to do. Stay there or go to a safe house."

Mac sighed and clasped his hands in front of his face as he leaned on his elbows across his desk.

"Lindsay is refusing the safe house. She wants to stay here." Mac paused and met Flack's eyes. "That obviously involves you." A look of surprised crossed Flack's eyes. "Yeah, I know she's still at your place."

"If she stays with me, she'll be safer. I'll watch her back."

"And you'll have patrol units watching the place and she's going to have a shadow."

"I can do all that Mac. Come on'."

"No. Absolutely not. You're involved."

"Mac…"

"I said No." Mac stood. "That's it, Flack. Take it or leave it. She can stay with you on my terms or I'm sending her with the Feds."

Flack shook his head. "Okay."

"Good. Take her home. She and Adam are on a LOA until further notice."

With that Flack left to find Lindsay.

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_Next Time: It's no idle threat._


	22. Chapter 22

Disclaimer: Not mine. Not pretending like they're mine. Just borrowing.

Thanks to those who've patiently stuck by me and for those who've found this little tale in the interim. It's about to get movin'…. Just give me a couple of chapters to get the engine revved up.

Your PM's have been awesome and inspiring (much like the little FM Radio interaction that we got last week... loveeeeeeee it)!

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**Chapter 22:**

Don Flack made his way back to Lindsay Monroe's office where the trio of co-workers remained. Lindsay was seated at her desk with her head in her hands. Stella and Hawkes had taken up seats in the office and were quietly chatting with her when he entered. Hearing the door close, Lindsay looked up to meet Flack's eyes.

"So? What's the verdict?"

Flack came to stand beside her with his hands on the desk. He released a long sigh and met her eyes again. "We do this Mac's way."

Lindsay shot him an incredulous look.

"Don't gimme that look, Linds." He was shaking his head and he backed away from the desk. The exasperation was evident in his voice. "It's his way or the Feds' way. Trust me. You won't like their way."

She crossed her arms across her chest and leaned back in the chair. "What then?"

"The Feds are sweeping your apartment now. And mine. They'll let us know when they're done. You're gonna have a shadow at all times. Patrol units outside the apartment. No work. No unnecessary trips."

"Like house arrest. Got it." The ice in her tone chilled the entire room.

"Lindsay, this won't be forever. Mac just wants to keep you safe…" Stella trailed off when she saw the frustration on Lindsay's face. "We all just want to keep you safe."

Flack gave Hawkes a look that resulted in Hawkes excusing himself and Stella from the room.

Turning around, Flack took two long steps to her desk and put his hands on her arms to spin her in her chair to face him. "You have got to be safe. Okay?" He searched her face until her eyes met his. "I had to fight Mac not to send you to a safe house, and he still might if he thinks it's necessary." Her eyes never waivered from his, but her expression softened when she saw the concern in his eyes.

She nodded lightly. "I _need_ you to be safe." He broke eye contact momentarily and stared down to the floor without taking his hands from her arms. Tenderly, Lindsay reached up and took gentle hold of his chin and tipped his face up to meet hers.

She leaned forward and placed a gentle kiss on the side of his mouth. "Okay." She spoke softly as she leaned back.

Don nodded and gave her a knowing look. "Did I mention that you have a dashing personal bodyguard?" Straightening up, he winked at her, turned and exited the room to prep the backup they would be taking home with them. He didn't notice Stella standing outside the cafeteria…who had witnessed their exchange.

Lindsay turned back to her desk and began making notes on the cases that she had open for whichever substitute CSI took over her cases while she was in hiding. _In hiding_. She swallowed the unpleasant feelings that the statement brought up.

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Stella was pacing the break room trying to figure out if she had imagined what she had just seen or whether it was real. Erring on the scientific side, she decided that she had actually witnessed a very intimate exchange between two of her dearest friends.

Turning on a dime, she started to head out from the cafeteria and nearly bowled Danny over in the doorway.

"Sorry, Danny. Didn't see you there."

"No problem Stell…somethin' wrong?"

"Nope. Just need to find Lindsay before she leaves." She gave him a quick smile and squeezed his bicep before stepping past him through the doorway.

Danny followed her with his eyes and watched her walk hurriedly over to the office he shared with Lindsay. Shaking his head, he returned his attention to his original reason for being in the cafeteria—coffee.

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Lindsay was sorting through case files and making piles to hand off all of her open cases. She took a sip of coffee and nearly choked on it when Stella came rushing through the door.

"What's the rush, Stella?" Lindsay gave her a small smile and carefully set down her cup of coffee.

Stella pulled a chair up to Lindsay's desk and sat down carefully. She grinned at her and leaned her elbows on Lindsay's desk. Meeting Lindsay's expectant eyes, Stella could hardly say it. Lindsay gave her a look that said 'go on.' but still Stella remained silent.

"Okay, Stella, I love you and all but you're creeping me out a little right now."

"You and Flack. You're a thing."

And Lindsay's face dropped. Not because Stella had figured it out…somehow. But because just as Stella announced her findings, Danny had come through the door to their office. His eyes met hers briefly before he turned and walked out of the room.

Stella turned and the two women watched as Danny threw his coffee away and headed for the stairwell.

Lindsay sighed and tucked her hair behind her ear. Looking to Stella, she waited until the older woman met her eyes. "Yes. We're a thing. Until this is all over, let's just keep it between us, okay?"

Stella nodded and gave her a tight smile. She stood and turned to exit the room. "Let me know when you're ready to brief me on those cases." And with that Stella left the room.

Lindsay turned back to the closed stairwell door. And after a moment of thinking about it, she stood and headed for the stairwell.

Lindsay found Danny sitting on the landing above their floor. He was leaning against the wall with his arms leaning on his knees. His fingers were rubbing circles on his forehead. Lindsay knew that Danny had heard her climb the stairs, but she remained silent nonetheless.

Taking a seat next to him, she leaned back against the wall and stretched out her legs in front of her. She felt a small cramp in her abdomen, but ignored it to stay where she was.

Neither one looked at the other. Lindsay stared at the stairs leading up to the next floor. She was counting them when Danny let out a heavy sigh.

"I figured …ya know. After that night." Danny still didn't look at her. She couldn't look at him. His voice sounded small and tight. "I guess I just didn't want to believe it."

"Danny…." She paused and realized that she hadn't even ever imagined having this conversation with him. This was not something that she had prepared herself for. "Look. I didn't mean for you to find out like that. Stella just blurted it out because she'd just figured it out on her own." Lindsay paused for reaction. Receiving none, she continued on.

"Don and I are together. It just sort of…"

"Happened?" Danny interrupted and then let out a frustrated growl. "Lindsay, it's okay. No need to explain. Don's a good guy. He's the best guy."

Lindsay just looked at him. Danny turned his head in her direction, but didn't meet her eyes. "Please, don't explain." He swallowed loudly. "It's okay."

"Okay." She nodded and faced forward.

"I'm just gonna have to work on it." He gave a small chuckle. "The two best people I know. Just not the way I thought it'd go."

Lindsay nodded and looked to the floor. There was silence between them and Lindsay thought that perhaps this was all that there would be anymore.

Danny stood up and turned reaching a hand down to her to help her up. She reached up and took his hand. Pulling her to stand next to him, Danny kept gentle hold of her hand and brought it to his mouth. Kissing it gently, he entangled his arms with her right arm and tipped her chin to meet his eyes. He stared into her eyes and forced her to meet his stare. "Let him keep you safe. Promise me, ok?"

She nodded and felt a rush of tears to her eyes. He continued. "'Cause I'll lose you to him, but only to him." With that, he released her, turned, and trotted down the stairs and walked back out onto the floor leaving a stunned Lindsay in his wake.

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Lindsay was walking into the locker room when she felt a hand on the small of her back. Don's cologne gave him away almost immediately. She walked into the locker room and stopped just inside the doorway. Looking around, she knew that they were alone.

Turning, she faced Don and took a step into his waiting embrace. She released the breath she was holding as soon as his arms drew around her.

"You ready to get out of here?"

"Are they going to let me?"

Lindsay didn't want to move, but she didn't want to take the chance of others discovering their situation just when she was being sent on leave. She started to step back and she felt Don's arms tighten around her.

"I have to tell you somethin' and I think it's better if I have control of your arms when I do." He could feel Lindsay's chest rise and fall with her chuckle against his own. "I had to fess' up to Mac." Silence.

Releasing her slightly, he stepped back and their eyes met. She shrugged. "It had to happen sooner or later." She winced and then looked through squinting eyes. "Danny found us out. So did Stella."

"So, what you're saying is everyone knows." Don laughed lightly watching for a response from Lindsay.

She grinned. "Looks like." She took his hands in hers. "Stella won't say anything. Danny won't either."

Don just nodded. He wanted to ask the question, but refrained. He assumed that if something bad had happened that Lindsay would tell him.

"Well, at least it means we don't have to feel like we have something to hide." That gave him a grin. "And at least we won't have to pay off all the back up at the apartment through this whole thing."

Lindsay grinned and stood on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek. She released his hands and walked to her locker. "At least one good thing is coming from all this."

Flack watched as Lindsay loaded up her things and closed her locker. He reached out and took the sports bag from her and held the door to the locker room open to her.

They walked silently out of the lab, feeling the eyes of their coworkers upon them. Neither stopped until they reached the elevator. Looking at one another as the elevator doors opened, the two stepped in and headed out of the lab.

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As Don and Lindsay walked to his SUV, they noticed several men in suits meandering around the car. Approaching slowly, Lindsay recognized one of the men as a federal agent from Mac's office. The pair nodded at the federal agents.

"Evening detectives."

"Everything alright, here?"

"No problems Detective Flack. We swept your car. Agents O'Rourke and Baker will be your shadows." The lead agent cleared his throat. "You're to go straight to Detective Flack's residence and remain there. His residence was swept and is clean." Turning to face Lindsay, the lead agent meets her eyes, "we found a few issues with Detective Monroe's apartment. Detective Angell was kind enough to accompany us through the search and managed to pack a bag for you. We're going to pose a decoy and see what we get. Bags in the back."

The lead agent stopped talking and responded to his beeping blackberry. Flack's brow was furrowed and he saw that Lindsay's face had paled considerably. "What do you mean that there were a few issues?"

"We found a bug in her apartment and what looks to be a miniature camera. We've sent them to the lab and we're going to pull her phone records in the meantime. We'll keep you updated. For now, however, it's just better if you stay away."

Lindsay nodded and was glad that Angell had been there to collect her things. These agents were so cold. The thought of them rummaging through her apartment gave her a new sense of violation.

Flack put his hand on the small of her back and led her away from the agents to the passenger side of the car. Flack tossed her work bag in the backseat and walked around to climb into the drivers seat. He watched as the agents took their place in a car near his.

Before pulling out of the parking spot, Flack took a look over at Lindsay. Her face was pale, but her cheeks had flushed slightly. Reaching over, he took her hand and began rubbing small circles on her hand with his thumb.

With that, he led the SUV out of the garage and onto the busy New York City street with the federal agents in tow.

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_Next Time: A direct threat arises and Flack has to make a choice._


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